Get the ball rolling
Getting Afghan, Pakistani and Nato officials in a huddle was necessary to reset the equation, and hence a step forward, but all sides will now have to set quantifiable benchmarks to avoid going in circles again. Meanwhile Sartaj Aziz and John Kerry have said the right things also; on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Laos. So clearly there is an effort on the part of all concerned to get the ball rolling again. The border management talks in Kabul were the first serious interaction between Kabul, Islamabad and Nato since the breakdown of the Quadrilateral and the unfortunate Pak-Afghan exchange at Torkham.
And the Aziz-Kerry exchange was also the first Pak-US interaction since Congress bulldozed the F16 subsidy. Kerry’s assurances of normalising relations and visiting soon seemed sincere enough, but given the anti-Pakistan venom at Capitol Hill they cannot, unfortunately, be taken at face value. The Americans obviously realise that Pakistan is still central to solving the Taliban mess, but they have also decided not to give any more room on demands that Pakistan has not acknowledged to their satisfaction yet.
It must be remembered, of course, that these initiatives are coming when Kabul is under renewed attack; not just from the Taliban, but now also ISIS. That does not mean the other parties suspect Pakistan of aiding or sheltering ISIS as well; just that the need of ending hostilities with the Taliban is greater than ever as the theatre of war expands. Pakistan, too, stands to lose a lot if ISIS is allowed to strengthen its hold in Afghanistan. We are still overflowing with religiously motivated militias of all hues and colours. It would be easier here than most places for those that fund and arm ISIS to find happy and willing recruits. These factors make this renewed attempt at cooperation that much more important. Hopefully all countries concerned will realise what is at stake.
