Old wine in a new bottle Daud Khattak The newly-elected Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif and the outgoing Afghani President, Hamid Karzai are set to open their hearts following a season of highly charged environment with allegations and counter-allegations between the two closest neighbors. However, to believe that the two sides will sort out all their differences and agree on a common game plan vis-à-vis the looming international withdrawal from Afghanistan and reconciliation with the Taliban is none but to hope against the hope. Notwithstanding the US role, which some may call pressure, in bringing the two sides together, both Hamid Karzai and Nawaz Sharif are going to come face to face with serious reservations about each others’ foreign policy approaches and role the of their security agencies, just to mention a few of the contentious points on the table. Kabul has been accusing Islamabad of providing sanctuaries to Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network who are targeting the Afghan government, the international troops and the civilians. Pakistan authorities vehemently deny the allegations leveled by its western neighbor and the international community struggling to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan both with military might and developmental works. However, what the beleaguered Afghan President seeks this time from Pakistan is to put pressure on the Taliban to sit face to face with his government. President Karzai, wrongly or rightly, believes that Pakistan helped bringing the Taliban to the negotiation table with the United States. Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s advisor on National Security Sartaj Aziz had said that Pakistan will provide all possible cooperation in peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Taliban leadership, in their statements, call the Karzai-led government a puppet and so far turned down offers from the Afghan president and his government for a direct peace talks. Whether Pakistan will be able to promise an arrangement for bringing the Taliban negotiators face to face with President Karzai’s High Peace Council is anybody’s guess. However, to keep the ball rolling, Pakistan is all set to release another batch of Taliban prisoners with a possible release of Mullah Abdul Ghani Biradar, a key Taliban commander and trusted aid of Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar. Biradar was arrested in a joint operation by the American CIA and Pakistani security agencies in 2010. Reacting to his arrest, the Afghan authorities had accused Pakistan of sabotaging their efforts to open direct negotiation channel with the Taliban. Will the Taliban, or in that sense, Biradar’s release make any difference with the reconciliation process is again shrouded in mystery mainly because the previously released batch of Taliban prisoners did not prove helpful. Rather some reports suggested that they had joined Taliban front lines to resume their armed struggle against the Afghan government and international community including Pakistan. On the Pakistani side, despite Nawaz Sharif’s “think afresh” approach towards Afghanistan, there is widespread anger over the Afghan parliament resolution against Pakistan, the recent trouble on the Durand Line and anti-Pakistan protest in some parts of Afghanistan which the Pakistani authorities believe were orchestrated by the Afghan government. But on top of all is the Pakistani obsession with ‘increasing’ Indian presence in its neighborhood which the security establishment sees an effort to encircle Pakistan. Since long, Pakistan is complaining about the presence of Indian Consulates in Afghan cities located in close proximity to the Pakistani border. The future prospects of the visit can be based on answer to two key questions: Can Pakistan persuade or force the Afghan Taliban to hold direct negotiations with the Karzai government? And will the Afghan government snap or at least restrict its historical ties with India to appease its Eastern neighbor? A cautious answer to both the questions is somewhat ‘no’ if not a certain ‘no’. In that case, the best approach for both sides is to put their own houses in order rather than pointing accusing fingers at or making unrealistic demands from each other. Pakistan, instead of asking Afghanistan to apply limits on its ties with India should come forward for winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. In the same token, the Afghan government, with huge support from the international community over the past more than a decade should have strengthened their defense besides winning the hearts and minds of its war-weary people by ensuring good governance. In that case, they would not have felt the need for Pakistan’s help in bringing the Taliban to negotiation table. Even if Pakistan persuade Taliban to sit with the Afghan government, that will be a position of weakness for President Karzai. Though expectations are high and mood upbeat, the Pak-Afghan parleys in Islamabad is not going to get a major breakthrough. The likely exception however will be the cooling down of the highly charged environment with the release of some Taliban detainees, a call convening of Pak-Afghan Ulema Conference and Karzai’s “Pakistan as his second home” statement.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 06:02:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015