MOHAMMAD JAMIL
PAKISTAN’S borders with neighbours are closed; international and domestic flight operations have been suspended; however the border crossings at Torkham in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and Chaman in Balochistan province remained open until-April 9 to facilitate Afghan nationals. From 10 April, Pakistan would open Chaman and Torkham border crossings for transportation of goods through trucks at the request of the Government of Afghanistan and for humanitarian considerations. On the other hand, Afghanistan government officials such as Amrullah Saleh (former NDS Chief) continue maligning Pakistan. Anyhow, thousands of Afghans including patients were stuck in Pakistan after the country closed borders with Afghanistan and Iran to stop pandemic of coronavirus. Pakistan in the past helped Afghan governments and people of Afghanistan in many ways; firstly by helping them to get rid of the Soviet occupation; and lately by bringing the Taliban on negotiating table in a quest for peace in the war-torn country. Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Atif Mashal said Torkham and Spin Boldak each saw 1,000 Afghans returning to Afghanistan. He hoped that the remainder will also return gradually. “We urge Afghan refugees in Pakistan to avoid traveling as the priority is those who are stuck in Pakistan. The number 1000 was decided as per the capacity of quarantine preparations upon crossing into Afghanistan. He stated on Twitter: “We are working closely with the Pakistani government to extend this process and thank them for their assistance and cooperation”. Meanwhile, Chairman Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zubair Motiwala welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s support to Afghanistan by ensuring the continuation of both bilateral trade, serving the humanitarian cause by supplying all possible basic necessities to citizens of Afghanistan. Pakistan indeed considers Afghanistan a brotherly country despite the fact that the rulers never reciprocated good gestures of Pakistan. It is a matter of record that Pakistan rendered many sacrifices when it stood by the Afghans in Afghan Jihad against the former Soviet Union and hosted record number of over three million refugees. Afghan citizens are allowed to avail medical and education facilities in Pakistan at par with the Pakistani citizens. Pakistan has funded different educational institutions inside Afghanistan such as Allama Iqbal Faculty of Arts-Kabul University, Sir Syed Post Graduate Faculty of SciencesNangarhar University, Liaquat Ali Khan Engineering University-Bulkh, Rahman Baba School-Kabul and Rahman Baba Hostel in Kabul. Pakistan has helped Afghan government in developmental projects and roads infrastructure in Afghanistan. Pakistan cannot match the donations and grants which India can afford due to its much larger economy [plus ulterior motives], yet Pakistan had given about half a billion dollars in aid a few years ago in addition to hundreds of trucks and buses. Pakistan has taken consistent position that it would not allow its territory to be used against any country. The negotiated peace in Afghanistan has been Pakistan’s consistent position; and Pakistan is currently hosting over two million Afghan refugees. Pakistan naturally expected gratitude instead of hostility from the Afghan government. Propaganda launched by PTM on social media and at other forums in connection with assassination of one of their activists Dr. Sadiq Ullah by blaming LEAs of Pakistan. Hostile Intelligence Agencies like NDS are working since long to create hatred between people of Pakistan and authorities in which they have never been successful by the grace of God. Unfortunately, from King Zahir Shah to socialist presidents under the influence of former Soviet Union and India had raised issues like Pashtunistan. From Afghan leadership of former president Hamid Karzai to Dr. Ashraf Ghani, accused Pakistan of supporting Haqqani Network. It has now been proved that the Taliban and Haqqani Network exist inside Afghanistan, not outside, given the large areas they control there. In fact, India has influence over the Afghan government and especially NDS, the Afghan secret agency, and they had misguided the US, which also joined the chorus blaming Pakistan for their failure to rein in the Taliban. The problem is that even government and its Northern Alliance allies are at loggerheads. The Afghan Electoral Commission announced on February 18 that President Ashraf Ghani won 50.6 percent of the vote—pushing Ghani just above the 50 percent threshold for avoiding a second round runoff. His erstwhile partner, former chief executive of Afghanistan’s national unity government, Abdullah Abdullah, won 39.5 percent. Abdullah immediately challenged the result, further undermining the credibility of an election marred by low turnout and a contentious, six-month-long ballot count. Every Afghan presidential election has been brokered or mediated by US diplomats. Afghanistan depends on US support for funding the Afghan National Army and police, and also to conclude its elections because its Constitution is remarkably ill-suited to the realities of its politics. It has a highly unitary state with strong presidential powers. The Afghan Parliament is weak and not seen as especially legitimate due to a majoritarian system. In 2020, the United States is again seeking to help Afghanistan establish an inclusive government, but it has engaged so late in the process that Ghani and Abdullah held inaugurations separately. Thus divisions in Kabul threaten to undermine the positions of the Afghan government and legitimate opposition groups in confronting the Taliban. Experts are of the view to shift the country from a unitary system to one that accommodates Kabul’s power-sharing realities. Having that said, Afghan government refused to release 5000 Taliban prisoners; the US however cut the US aid by $ 1 billion, and may further reduce it if Afghan President does not fall in line. The Taliban has refused to participate in the intra-Afghan dialogue, firstly because the Committee does not represent all stakeholders and secondly because Afghan government did not release the Taliban prisoners, which was agreed in US-Taliban agreement that by 10 March they will be released. —The writer is a senior journalist based in Lahore.