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Afghanistan
With Afghan cooperation
2017-02-22
[DAWN] AS the state struggles to contain and put an end to a continuing spell of violence, the military leadership has emphasised that Pakistain and Afghanistan must "fight [a] common enemy, ie Lions of Islam of all hue and colour". In comments attributed to Gen Qamar Bajwa by the ISPR, the army chief asserted in a security meeting that border cooperation and coordination between Afghanistan and Pakistain is essential. Gen Bajwa is also reported to have reiterated that "Pakistain and Afghanistan have fought against terrorism and shall continue this effort together". The evident shift in tone of the military leadership from anger and the threat of unilateral action across the Pak-Afghan border to coordinated action against the mutual threat of terrorism is precisely the bedrock on which long-term policy needs to be built. The past is a clear indicator of the futility of unilateralism or the pursuit of policies by either country that the other does not support.

Clearly, a bilateral framework of cooperation must accommodate exigencies and there is an urgent need to address the current spate of violence inside Pakistain. As the Charsadda attack yesterday indicates, Pakistain is facing a wave of terror attacks that is reminiscent of the very darkest days in the long fight against militancy. The ebb and flow of militancy in the two countries requires flexible priorities and Pakistain is right in insisting that the anti-Pakistain bandidos bandidos myrmidons who have found sanctuary in Afghanistan be targeted urgently. If Afghan cops or the US-led foreign military contingents are unable to act decisively against them, then Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
 should consider allowing Pak forces to operate in the border regions where those bandidos bandidos myrmidons are believed to have found sanctuary. What Pakistain should be mindful of is to not conduct operations, especially putting boots on the ground, in Afghan territory without Kabul’s consent. Difficult as the border region is, mutual respect for territorial integrity and illusory sovereignty must form the basis of a common policy against terrorism. From US dronezaps to the raid that killed the late Osama bin Laden
... who used to be alive but now he's not...
, Pakistain has always publicly protested any incursions into its terrain. It does not behove authorities here to deny Kabul even symbolic control over Afghan territory.

Unhappily, the Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..
 does not seem eager to heed the advice and take up the offer of Gen Bajwa. In comments in Germany recently, Mr Ghani appeared to cling to a sceptical view of Pak-Afghan ties rather than reach out to Pakistain in its hour of grief. But the same ISPR statement on border cooperation notes that the "COAS also welcomed recent proposals from Afghan authorities", suggesting that perhaps Mr Ghani and his advisers have been more open to mutual cooperation in private. If so, the emphasis should be on the cooperative steps that can be taken along the Pak-Afghan border.
Posted by:Fred

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