The Afghan peace process
Pakistan and Afghanistan share many common goals; end to terrorism and return of peace being one of them. However, with the US and NATO troops leaving the war-torn country in about a year’s time, the role that Pakistan can play in bringing peace and stability to the country gets highlighted. That makes British Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to Islamabad a highly important one, considering that it came after John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, did not visit Pakistan last week and went to India instead. The British PM’s visit is also the first high profile one by any foreign head of government since the new dispensation was installed in office in Pakistan after the May 11 elections.
Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s new prime minister, met with his British counterpart on Sunday and assured cooperation in bringing peace and stability to its western neighbour. However, as President Asif Ali Zardari said in his meeting with Cameron on Saturday, all stakeholders in the peace process must recognise Pakistan’s contribution and respect it. No initiative would come to fruition if the stakeholders, including Pakistan, are not respected for the part they are playing in achieving the objective of peace. The way Pakistan’s legitimate apprehensions on an enhanced role of India in Afghanistan have been overlooked by the US and the west, there is all the more need to make the peace process more inclusive, Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, as has been pointed out by the Pakistani PM. Keeping Pakistan away from the process or scuttling its role will only create difficulties for both countries as it would be Pakistan who would have to face the brunt of the terrorists and extremists because of its proximity after the 2014 withdrawal of the US and ISAF forces. A strong and stable Afghanistan is good for Pakistan and vice-versa. What makes matters more complicated is Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s continuous criticism of Pakistan, holding it responsible for everything wrong with his country, which is ironic as his government has been accused of kickbacks, bribery, corruption and drug trafficking by none other than the US itself. However, as PM Nawaz Sharif has said, Pakistan “seeks a peaceful and stable Afghanistan”, not the blame game, and it is for this purpose that it is eager to play its part in the whole peace process. The two leaders also discussed trade relations and other matters of mutual interest, including security for Pakistani infrastructure, and cultural ties.
Pakistan sure doesn’t want a repeat of what happened after the last Afghan war and the Soviet withdrawal, neither does the US or UK. The question is how best to tackle the situation from veering towards that direction, the answer to which is simple enough: let Afghanistan lead the way through dialogue and discussion while all other stakeholders chip in what they can to make it possible.
