For the sake of social peace and national unity
The power sharing agreement between Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah is good for Afghanistan. The accord will put an end to the three-month long sense of uncertainty about the future of the neighbouring country. The understanding will foreclose the possibility of a clash that looked imminent between the Pashtun ethnic majority and the non-Pashtun minority. A civil war or sectarian conflict would have benefited Al-Qaeda and provided an opportunity to ISIS to gain a foothold in Afghanistan.
The agreement is also good for Pakistan. A peaceful Afghanistan bodes well for Pakistan’s security and prosperity. Instability in the neigbouring country would force hundreds of thousands Afghans to take refuge in Pakistan creating serious problems for it. A united and effective government capable of establishing its writ in Afghanistan would be helpful in the implementation of the various power and gas projects that would benefit the entire region. These include the $7.6 billion TAPI gas pipeline, advantageous for Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Also CASA-1000 power transmission project which is to bring extra electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Instability in Afghanistan has stood in the way of the implementation of these projects.
Success in the fight against terrorism is an existential issue for both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is time the two countries resolve their differences and jointly act to root out all terrorist groups without cherry-picking. It is not enough to simply claim they are taking action against terrorists of all hues and colours. What is equally important is that they should be seen by each other and the rest of the world to be doing this.
Imran Khan and Qadri need to take a leaf out of the Afghan politicians’ book. Abullah Abdullah realised soon that the demand for total audit was unhelpful and national interest required give and take. The winning Ashraf Ghani also opted for accommodation for the sake of social peace and national unity.
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