Peace process needs a push
The good thing about diplomacy is that it can solve almost all problems if given chance. And the two neighbours, Afghanistan and Pakistan, need it more than ever now that the US and NATO forces have laid out their plans to leave the country after a decade. There have been tensions in the past between the two states that have kept them from moving forward with the process of bringing peace in the region, but the time now calls for better understanding and cooperation. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz’s trip to Kabul is precisely aimed at achieving the aforementioned goal.
Sartaj Aziz, a veteran politician, aims to remove some of the air that shrouds the relation between the two states in doubt. How much he succeeds in it remains to be seen. This being the first such trip by any official of Pakistan’s new government, a lot has been attached to it, at least symbolically. The Afghan government has been critical of Pakistan with regards to a number of things, mainly security and on how to deal with Taliban. Islamabad, on the other hand, blames the Kabul government of incompetence and malice. The distrust between the two has been so deep that the Afghan security and government officials have been accusing Pakistan for virtually every problem they have been dealing with. The peace process among the Taliban, US and Afghanistan was disrupted when some objections were raised as to the flag on the Taliban’s office in Qatar. When the Taliban closed the office, in protest, and walked out on the talks, the Afghan government blamed it on Pakistan again. Pakistan rejects the claim and says that it is in favour of an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, and to this end it is willing to release Mullah Baradar, a key Taliban leader who the Kabul wants to be released. Afghanistan’s National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta made some insinuating remarks when he said that ‘peace initiatives cannot take place until Pakistan allows the Taliban to talk to the Afghan government’. He also said that Pakistan was a small country and wanted to use Afghanistan as part of strategic depth in case of any attack from India. It is statements like these that have put a wedge between the two states.
The trip by Sartaj Aziz, one hopes, is able to remove at least some part of the doubt and mistrust, as is evident from his statement that he is traveling to Kabul to start repairing relations. The trip will also help in preparing the agenda for Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s visit to Pakistan whose dates have not yet been announced, along with some possible progress on a trade agreement. Both countries need to understand their geo-political realities and decide to work together.