Two round of talks on Afghanistan, including tripartite Pak-Afghan-Turk summit and a conference of representatives from around 20 countries, have ended to be followed by a larger Bonn conference early next month. The tripartite summit achieved minor successes centred on providing Turkey greater leverage in Pak-Afghan disputes. It was agreed to induct Ankara into the training of Afghan security forces and to launch a joint tripartite mechanism to investigate Rabbani’s murder. The idea of regional cooperation cropped up at both the summit and the conference. As Zardari strongly supported regional cooperation at the summit, it was made clear that he visualized a cooperation between Islamabad, Kabul and Ankara ‘guided’ by Turkey. At the larger conference India insisted that regional cooperation had to be an inclusive platform to address the common challenges facing the region. Further, the platform was required “to assist Afghanistan in the transition and beyond.” Karzai’s position was no different as he maintained that there was no hope for peace in Afghanistan without help from ‘neighbours’ to combat terror groups. At both the summit and the conference, Karzai called for greater assistance from Pakistan action against terrorist strongholds in the tribal areas which he maintained was not forthcoming
Kabul readily agreed to the inclusion of Turkey in the regional cooperation mechanism on account of the Turkish clout in Afghanistan based on historical links, ethnic ties with the Afghan Uzbeks and development assistance. It wants India to be included on account of New Delhi’s potential to provide aid and help in the development of infrastructure. While this creates apprehensions in Pakistani establishment, New Delhi with its huge $1.3 billion aid package cannot be just wished away.
Islamabad can do three things. First, to enhance economic cooperation with both India and Afghanistan as an incentive for them to maintain friendly ties with Pakistan. Second, to hunt out the terrorists irrespective of their affiliations to remove the stigma of supporting terrorism. Third, to bring in both Turkey and China into the proposed regional cooperation mechanism to offset any possible imbalance created by New Delhi’s presence.
