Dr Mehmood-ul-Hassan Khan
US-Indian hawks are now trying to discredit Pakistan’s sincere diplomatic efforts to restore peace and harmony in Afghanistan after a historic peace deal between Taliban and the US in Doha. The Department of Defence (Pentagon) has now released its latest report outlining Pakistan’s continued support to Taliban and the notorious Haqqani terrorist network thus defaming concrete efforts of Pakistani Establishment to start grand dialogue in Afghanistan. The latest Pentagon report (21 May 2020) was prepared by the Inspector General, compiled with help of the Department of State and United States Agency for International Development, covered the period from January to March 2020 of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, US military mission in Afghanistan.
It categorically blamed Pakistan’s sustained support to Taliban and associated militant groups in Pakistan such as the Haqqani Network, which maintains the ability to conduct attacks against Afghan interests. Moreover, it purposely mentioned Islamabad’s alleged misappropriate role to encourage the Afghan Taliban to participate in peace talks but that it “refrained from applying coercive pressure that would seriously threaten its relationship with the Afghan Taliban to dissuade the group from conducting further violence.” On the contrary, time and again the Government of Pakistan and military establishment both showed their strong commitment to refrain from the internal affairs of Afghanistan by staying away from its previous policy of “strategic depth”.
Pentagon termed Islamabad’s primary strategic objective in Afghanistan to counter its regional archrival, India, and prevent the spillover of instability from the neighboring country. It feared that Pakistan’s amplified Taliban influence in Afghanistan would be fatal for its strategic interest too. It would enhance Pak role in its overall regional objectives to influence intra-Afghan peace talks in a direction favorable to Pakistan. A quarterly report by the Pentagon to Congress has noted continued Pakistani support for violence by the hard-line Taliban movement in Afghanistan. On the other hand, Government of Pakistan strongly condemned series of horrendous recent violent incidents in different parts of Afghanistan during which innocent children, women and elderly people were crucified on the issue of so-called holy mission of ISIS and its localized franchises.
Despite ongoing blame game and widespread dirty politics to debar Pakistan from clinching its opponents, Prime Minister Imran Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for facilitation of Afghan peace process and underscored importance of next steps leading to earliest commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations. Due to rapidly changing “chess board” of regional geo-economy and geopolitics, US is very angry about its imminent strategic debacle. Widespread of COVID-19 has produced serious dints to its defence policy of South-East Asia and Central Asia alike. Chinese dragons are now flying high to outperform US eagles in regional politics. All the regional countries have been trying their best to bring peace in Afghanistan. In this context, a joint statement with Russia, Iran and China on 18 May, Pakistan reiterated its support for peace in Afghanistan.
Government of Pakistan termed inclussive intra-Afghan negotiations the only way forward to realize the Afghan national reconciliation, leading to prompt end of the prolonged conflict. While having a series of meetings with US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Resolute Support Mission Commander General Austin Scott Mille with civil and military leadership Pakistan constantly, reaffirmed its support to United States peace efforts in Afghanistan. In the recent past, the top US officials were in Islamabad for a day-long visit. “In a meeting with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Ambassador Khalilzad and General Miller discussed the United States’ “ongoing efforts for a sustainable peace in Afghanistan during which Pakistan’s military leaders reaffirmed their support for US efforts and renewed their commitment to act to advance a political settlement to the conflict. The COAS Gen Bajwa also updated the visitors on the Pakistan Government’s efforts for peace and the Prime Minister’s call for international community to help alleviate the issues confronting developing world in present circumstances. Although there is no official confirmation, the issue of recent arrest of ISIS-Khorasan chief Aslam Farooqui also came up for discussion between Khalilzad and Gen Bajwa. The Foreign Office of Pakistan summoned the Afghan envoy on the issue and conveyed concern over Farooqui’s involvement in anti-Pakistan activities. Pakistan asked Afghanistan to hand over Farooqui for further investigation which was turned down by Kabul. It is believed that Pakistan is persuading Afghanistan through the US to get access to Farooqui, whose group was involved in some of the deadliest attacks in the country. Rise to recent deadly violence against security forces of Pakistan in different parts of Baluchistan raised security concerns in the circle of military establishment.
The intra-Afghan dialogue was supposed to take place within weeks of the landmark deal signed between the US and the Afghan Taliban on February 29. However, the process met a roadblock when President Ashraf Ghani refused to abide by the clause in the US-Taliban deal regarding prisoner swap. Infighting between Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah was also deteriorated prospects of US-Taliban deal but newly agreed power sharing formula between the two brightened its completion. The US tried hard to convince both the leaders to patch up and threatened to review cooperation with Afghanistan. The threat did work as the Afghan Government named a 21-member “inclusive team” for talks with the Taliban.
Afghan political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar recently met Gen Miller in Doha and conveyed concern regarding the lack of implementation on February 29 deal. Ironically, while giving interview Abbas Stanikzai the Chief Negotiator of the Taliban showed his dissatisfaction over the negative role of India in Afghanistan and termed it dangerous for regional peace and reaffirmed India supported traitors in the country. It has jolted regional capitals who have long warned of India’s insincere interest in Afghanistan to destabilize the region. Pursuit of peace in Afghanistan largely depends upon sincerity of the US to persuade all main stakeholders to start Grand National Dialogue in the country. Role of regional countries is secondary and supportive. Pakistan has every right to defend its strategic interest and work jointly with its regional partners to demilitarize Afghanistan by development-oriented policies and gestures because US exit-Afghanistan policy is also strategic loss to Indian hegemonic plans.
—The writer is Director, Geopolitics/Economics Member Board of Experts, CGSS.
