As a series of international talks unfolds on bringing peace to Afghanistan, the positions of the US and Pakistan on the issue get crystallised. The US has withdrawn from the demand that Pakistan army launch a military operation in Waziristan. During the recent talks between a high level US delegation and Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, Islamabad was reassured that it would play a central role in any reconciliation talks. Pakistan was asked to use its influence to bring the Haqqani network and Mullah Omar to the negotiation table. As Clinton put it, the new US policy is centred around ‘Fight, Talk, Build’. The assurance has however failed to allay Pakistan’s concerns regarding Indian influence in Afghanistan after the departure of the US led troops. These were further raised by the draft of the declaration of Istanbul Conference, which contained a proposal to set up a “regional structure” for peace and stability in Afghanistan. Pakistan has taken the stand now that the Taliban would be willing only if there is a ceasefire before the talks. The position worries the US planners who think a ceasefire would remove the pressure for talks and provide the Taliban an opportunity to strengthen their position. Meanwhile the US has intensified military action against the Haqqani network inside Afghanistan while increasing drone attacks in the two Waziristan agencies.
Peace cannot be restored in Afghanistan unless US and Pakistan reconcile their positions. The US has to realise that the policy of bombing the Taliban to talks has only added to their exasperation, as rising incidents of terrorist attacks inside Kabul and elsewhere in the country indicate. Pakistan has to understand that once the US led troops are out, it would have to cope single-handedly with the combined force of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.
The way out is for the US to redress Pakistan’s genuine concerns. Islamabad has to realize that the only way to peace and prosperity in Pakistan and the region is by wiping out extremism and militancy. Friendly relations with India, which include granting it MFN status, can overtime remove the animus that leads New Delhi to seek a hegemonic position in Kabul. Islamabad should rest assured that the Afghans will never accept hegemony.
