A new Afghan policy

That of non-interference

The Afghan government reacted strongly when the Taliban office in Doha hoisted the religious militia’s flag and called it the office of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”. Karzai immediately called off the Afghan-US dialogue and sought explanation from Washington. Secretary of State John Kerry regretted the incident and warned the Taliban that their office might be shut down if the peace bid collapsed.

Ideally speaking, the Karzai government should itself hold talks with the Taliban without seeking the help of either the US or Pakistan. The US arranged the opening of the Doha office as it is in a hurry to leave Afghanistan next year. Washington also agreed to hold preliminary talks with the militants instead of advising them to contact Karzai. This further boosted the militants’ morale. The Taliban have already a highly unrealistic perception of their strength. As Dobbins has put it, they desire to share power, but want a bigger share than what others might give them. The Taliban seems to have forgotten that they could control Afghanistan briefly because there was a total collapse inside the country and indifference on the part of the international community. There is a government now in Afghanistan, with civil bureaucracy, army and police. There would be another elected government after Karzai leaves next year, perhaps capable of delivering better. While the Taliban may continue to conduct terrorist attacks damaging their image further, they would not be in a position to launch military assaults on major cities under the gaze of the international community.

Pakistan’s Afghan policy has been formulated since the Zia era solely by the army and the ISI in pursuit of an unrealistic strategic depth and a friendly government. The policy caused misunderstandings with every government, whether secular or religious, that came to power in Kabul. What is even more worrisome is that the policy has generated an anti-Pakistan sentiment which is taking roots in Afghanistan, the most recent expression being the protests in April by hundreds of Jalalabad students over the alleged construction of a military gate on the Afghan side of the border.

The PML-N government is keen to bring foreign policy back to the realm of foreign office. One expects the new Afghan policy to respect the neighbouring country’s sovereignty, eschew interference and deal with Afghanistan as an equal sovereign state. The unrealistic notion that the Karzai administration has a nominal control over the country while Taliban influence was growing, has to be discarded as elected regimes have greater credence than militants. The misunderstanding created after the meeting between Pakistan’s national security adviser and Afghan ambassador needs to be urgently removed. It is not enough to reiterate that the peace process should be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led. Nothing should be done that looks like a move aimed at interfering in the neighbouring country’s internal affairs.