Moving towards maturity?

• High expectations of Pak-Afghan smooth teamwork

In the modern era of frenzied pace of events, Sunday seems to have lost its previous recharging status, a holiday to clear away the physical and cerebral rust of the whole week, and nowadays even apex court proceedings are being conducted seven days a week. This Sunday was crammed with much news-worthy action, with a high -level visiting Afghan delegation, led by Afghan National Security Adviser (NSA), and including their army chief, interior minister, NDS head and dynamic ambassador to Pakistan, holding separate meetings with the Pakistan army chief, NSA and Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission (DCPC), while KP Assembly passed the historic KP-FATA merger Bill, after the National Assembly and Senate had earlier endorsed the union. The knee-jerk reaction from Kabul, though vexing, and rightly denounced as ‘interference’ by Pakistan’s Foreign Office, apparently had little ill-effect on the crucial Sunday Pak-Afghan talks, despite the poisonous past prattle of Mahmood Khan Achakzai, championing Afghanistan’s ‘sensitivity’, threatening the latter could create ‘trouble’ for Pakistan, and of FATA’s ‘free peoples’. Hopefully, both countries’ will continue to act sensibly  and keep the bigger picture in front: connectivity, regional security andan equal partnership, social, political, military and economic.

Afghan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), a Pakistani initiative, after fast track formulation and  operationalisation of its seven key points and (so far) five working groups, has proved an effective and workable practical platform in improving good neighbourly cooperation and coordination, strengthening trust, resolving mutual tensions amicably, confidence-building measures, working for enduring peace in Afghanistan, and by the two countries simply keeping on talking by regular high level meetings and contacts. The Pakistani COAS reiterated both countries’ territorial integrity, defeating the common enemy, not allowing their land to be used by terrorists and ending suspicions, the meeting with the NSA stressed regular get-together of working groups to strengthen bilateral ties, improve security situation and border management, while the DCPC discussed ways to increase bilateral trade, better road, rail linkages, rapid development in economic–social sectors and people-to-people contacts, a serious, comprehensive, all-round interaction. Iran’s warning about the ominous IS regrouping on the Pak-Afghan border should act as a catalyst for continued intensifying cooperation.