Afghanistan and Pakistan need to work together
The reciprocal visits by the political and military leadership of Pakistan and Afghanistan soon after the induction of President Ashraf Ghani were an expression of goodwill that had so far been lacking. The tragic killings in Peshawar Army Public School seemed to have brought the two sides further together. The meetings between the corps commanders from the two sides would hopefully help cement the relations. The improvement of relations between the neighbours has however yet to express itself in significant cooperation. Some of Pakistan’s concerns still remain unaddressed, the latest being the arrest and handing over of those who planned the barbarous attack in Peshawar. After a report about five suspects having been apprehended by the Afghan authorities, no development has been witnessed on the issue.
One of Pakistan’s major concerns is the unending infiltration from the Afghan side, particularly in Bajaur Agency. Early last month, elders from Kunar and Bajaur held a meeting to jointly ensure cooperation between the tribes. There were reports of a coordinated operation on both sides. However, this turned out to be no more than a brief action rather than a sustained operation and failed to stop infiltration inside Bajaur. What happened in the agency instead was that terrorist acts so far confined to IED blasts gave place on Monday to a full-fledged attack on FC personnel leading to the killing of three soldiers including a captain. Mullah Fazlullah and Omar Khalid Khorasani, two of Pakistan’s most wanted terrorists, meanwhile continue to operate from inside Afghanistan.
Expectations aroused by Sartaj Aziz’s statement last month regarding a hammer and anvil operation by the two armies along the Pak-Afghan border remain unfulfilled. The report of a row over access to Afghan truckers has instead sent a negative message. One can understand that the backlog of differences cannot be cleared in a few months. The challenges posed by terrorism require that both countries resolve their differences without further delay through necessary give and take to be able to undertake closer cooperation.
