The stakes are as high as they ever could be. As the American pullout is going to start in a month’s time, answers to questions like the stability of the region, security on both sides of the border, terrorist networks, reconciliation with Taliban and the future role of the Afghan security forces remain ambiguous, if not totally unanswered yet. After the Abbottabad episode, the dust seems to be settling on many a matter. Major stakeholders – Afghanistan and Pakistan – have put their heads together in rooting out major issues.
PM Gilani, after a one-on-one meeting with Hamid Karzai, has stressed the need for Afghan security forces to defend their country while pledging support to promote peace and security in the region. These “fruitful and comprehensive talks” may lay the foundation of a lasting peace, something missing since decades. Interestingly, these peace initiatives are also linked with enhanced joint intelligence sharing and trade opportunities for both the countries. Leon Panetta, the CIA chief, is in Islamabad to accomplish the former, while opening up the Transit Trade Agreement to more parties could achieve the latter. On a related point, Pakistan needs to plug in the leaks, if there are any, in its security agencies. The US is investigating whether the intelligence it provided to the ISI on certain bomb making factories in the tribal areas was leaked inadvertently, or intentionally. In both cases, it should serve as a wake-up call for the agencies, as the rapping of incompetence or complicity with the terrorists will ring aloud again.
Perhaps, the most crucial of the initiatives is an attempt at reconciliation with the Taliban. Considering the fact they are not mere mortals who can be eliminated with remotely controlled drones, it is their ideology that needs to be defeated, once and for all; bringing them to the table is a must. And this is where Pakistan can play a leading role. Peace must not become a promised land for the people anymore. If these joint efforts are translated into action in earnest, there is no stopping the process that may bring peace and stability to a region that has become an epicentre of friction and terror.