Crucial trilateral concord

China, Afghanistan and Pakistan

The Chinese Foreign Minister has arrived. The Chinese President is expected in Islamabad next month. Meanwhile, the first strategic trilateral dialogue between China, Pakistan and Afghanistan has concluded in Kabul. As US exits, China has taken on a bigger role in Afghanistan.

This is good for Pakistan provided military leadership does not make blunders in relations with Afghanistan and China. The quest for strategic depth was one. While the military seems to have dropped the quixotic idea, it will have to say farewell to a number of other notions. No self-respecting country likes to be patronised or taken for granted. Afghans, who have turned their rugged terrain into a graveyard of empires, would be the last to be told that their government has to be Pakistan friendly. One cannot have cordiality for the asking. Among countries it grows as a byproduct of mutual help and assistance while treating each other as equals despite differences in levels of development and in population and geographical size.

It would be unrealistic to hope to use the ‘China card’ against India. A tail wags the dog only in proverbs. In real life it is always the opposite. China needs a stable region to develop itself and has repeatedly encouraged Pakistan to improve ties with India and take time to resolve disputes with it. Pakistan has to do its utmost to maintain peace in South Asia.

One hopes the Taliban have learnt the right lessons from their downfall though it would be premature to believe that they actually have. It remains to be seen if the Chinese will succeed where the US, EU and a number of other countries failed despite attempts to win over Taliban spread over more than a decade. Whatever the fate of talks with the Taliban, it would help both Pakistan and Afghanistan to promote the trilateral concord which would make the region secure. China aided projects like the Kunar hydropower plant and improved road and rail connections between Afghanistan and Pakistan would promote understanding and bring prosperity to both countries.