Kabul visit of Pak CGS a serious initiative for meaningful coordination
Lt. General Bilal Akbar’s Afghanistan visit on Thursday signifies Pakistan’s urgency and indeed desperation to bring the present impossible impasse, which only strengthens the terrorist cause, to some positive practical outcome. The latest move is a continuation of the UK- sponsored London meeting in March 2017 between Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz and Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar to defuse tensions and agree on some uniform mechanism on cross border militant attacks. However, people are rightly cynical of the success of such enterprises, as in the past a brief bonhomie was usually followed by another horrific incident, which again aroused dormant suspicions. The Russians and Chinese have also contrived moves to bring about some stability in the war-ravaged country, but in vain so far. And the reasons are not far to seek. Though Pakistan has long shed it’s so called ‘strategic depth’ notions and only desires peace in Afghanistan, the confusion and cluelessness of the US military and the 100- days old Trump administration, as well as the incessant intrigues cooked up in the Indian consulates and hostility of some Afghan leaders are sufficient to keep Af-Pak relations uncertain and simmering. And then there is willing pawn Ehsanullah Ehsan and others of his mercenary ilk.
Perhaps it is the deeply felt necessity to take matters in their own hands that explains and underlines the latest approach. In meetings with the Afghan acting Defence Minister and his Afghan counterpart, the Chief of General Staff offered condolences of the Pakistan Army Chief for the unfortunate losses in the Mazar-e-Sharif attack and free medical treatment of the wounded, discussed better border coordination and emphasized for the umpteenth time that Pakistan would never allow its soil to be used to harm Afghanistan, as terrorists were a common threat. To prove its sincerity, the military launched air strikes in the Rajgal valley of Khyber Agency on Wednesday reportedly killing and wounding several militants trying to sneak in from Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. No more safe havens for them on this side!