Ceasefire is largely intact between Pakistan and Afghanistan but its sustainability depends on ability of the two sides to work out a detailed mechanism to prevent conflicts and sort out differences through negotiations.
As the two countries met again in Istanbul for technical level talks to pave the way for a permanent solution between two neighbours, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said in his maiden briefing that Pakistan looks forward to the establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism in the Istanbul talks to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Islamabad.
One must give credit to brotherly countries of Qatar and Turkiye for hosting peace talks in the backdrop of escalation of tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan due to Kabul’s inability to check cross-border terrorism. After hostilities broke out leading to significant casualties, Qatar hosted first round of talks that focused on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan stemming from Afghanistan and restoration of peace and stability along the Pak-Afghanistan border. The two sides agreed on a ceasefire and there had been no major violation yet continuation of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan by Afghanistan-based TTP elements presented a real threat to the uneasy peace. The level of tension can be gauged by the fact that border remains closed and Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) is suspended with Foreign Office declaring that the status quo would remain as saving life of an ordinary= Pakistani is more important than movement of goods or trade.
All this shows that situation is delicate and hostilities can break out any time due to mishandling. This is also highlighted by statement of Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif who said on Saturday that failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul could lead to an open war. Pakistan wants establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan and prevent any further loss of life of
Pakistanis. In essence, Doha produced the political breakthrough, while Istanbul is expected to operationalise it by defining what constitutes cross-border terrorism, how violations will be verified and how disputes will be resolved. The Istanbul round offers an opportunity to move from temporary calm towards a structured, verifiable peace framework with mechanisms for monitoring, verification and sustained dialogue through technical committees. In the backdrop of an upsurge in terrorism, Pakistan wants Afghanistan to eliminate the threat of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from its territory, which Pakistan says uses Afghan soil to launch attacks across the border. It effectively means the prospects of peace between the two countries hinge on the decision of Taliban regime, which, as per available evidence, considers TTP as an asset and instead of addressing genuine security concerns of Pakistan, it is allowing India to strengthen its foothold on Afghan soil to the disadvantage of Islamabad. Afghanistan must realise that it was able to offer formidable resistance in the face of foreign aggression and occupation due to all out diplomatic support of Pakistan, which played a crucial role in the peace process that resulted in the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. Apart from this, Pakistan hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades at huge economic and social costs and provided an economic lifeline to Afghanistan in the shape of ATT.
Pakistan conveyed its concerns and offered verifiable evidence about misuse of Afghan soil against it but Kabul failed to honour commitments in this regard, Islamabad is now proposing a comprehensive mechanism to address its concerns, which include dismantling known TTP sanctuaries, arresting or expelling key figures and defining clear timelines and benchmarks for measurable action such as raids, arrests and destruction of safe houses. It also wants mechanisms for intelligence-sharing, cross-border coordination and real-time monitoring of militant movements and financing. Pakistan is not asking something unusual and it is now for Afghanistan to make a choice for peace or war.
