This crossfire will put us in the cross hairs
The cross border attacks from Afghanistan and the consequent reprisals from this side of the border could further strain the already troubled ties between the two countries. The latest round of attacks started in June when Swat Taliban operating from Kunar infiltrated into Dir, killing 13 Pakistani soldiers. What is even more serious, there are accusations of the Afghan soldiers crossing into Pakistani territory. Early this month, up to 60 Afghan soldiers reportedly crossed into Pakistan and killed two tribesman. It is a pity that Afghan National Army trained and equipped by Nato to fight the militants should instead train their guns on Pakistani tribesmen. The Afghan government claims that hundreds of shells and rockets fired from the Pakistani side have led to the killing of four civilians. On Wednesday, ISAF supported the Afghan accusations while Pentagon expressed the hope that after the end of the over six month long standoff with Pakistan, it would be in a better position to bring Afghanistan and Pakistan together.
The militants benefit from the tension between the two countries. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan had previously accused the Taliban of carrying out the attacks on Kunar as part the militant group’s insurgency plaguing both sides of the border. Now the two sides are involved in a mutual blame game. Interestingly neither is willing to concede that any unfriendly act has been committed on its part.
There is a little hope of the Afghan government or the Nato troops taking action against the TTP elements sheltering in Afghanistan as long as Pakistan does not take action against the Afghan and foreign Taliban operating mostly from North Waziristan. Feigning ignorance, the common practice on both sides, will help neither. It is a fact that militants crisscross along the porous Pak Afghan border playing havoc in both countries. Despite the lethal and state-of-the-art weapons systems available to Nato, it has failed to take out the Haqqani network. Meanwhile, drone attacks have caused an anti-US sentiment throughout Pakistan. Islamabad too needs to realise that firing shells and rockets inside Afghanistan may kill several civilians and make thousands homeless without inflicting significant punishment on an enemy fighting an unconventional war. The damage that the attacks do on both sides is to create hatred among the local population. It is an irony that while Pakistan still hosts nearly five million Afghan refugees, there is little pro-Pakistan sentiment in Afghanistan. What needs to be done is to resolve differences through political rather than military means.
