Sartaj Aziz’s Trip to Afghanistan, and Attempts for Improvement of Relationships
During Hamid Karzai’s government, the relationship of Kabul and Islamabad was so complicated, and most of the times Afghanistan was blaming Pakistan that it was seeking its strategic depth in Afghanistan to control the foreign policy of Afghanistan with its own hands. And the blames of Afghanistan on Pakistan, which was support of Afghan Taliban by Pakistan, were so much.
Based on the last one decade relations, in addition to other foundational issues, one of them was support of the Taliban by Pakistan, and the active role of India in Afghanistan. Afghan side clarified that Pakistan provided shelter for the Afghan Taliban, and they are busy with proxy war against India in Afghanistan, some of the examples are the claims that Pakistan had hands in the attacks on Indian councils.
On the other hand, Afghan side also claims Pakistan for creating obstacle in the peace process between Afghan Government and the Afghan Government Enemies. Arresting and killing of the Afghan Taliban leaders like Mulla Beradar, in Pakistan, is one of the main reasons that shows the negative role of Pakistan in the peace process.
Concerns of Pakistan
Pakistan is concerned about the significant role of India in Afghanistan, and it is clear from the ideas of Pakistani Officials. Pakistan has doubt about various aspects of Indian role in Afghanistan:
First, India want to intervene in the internal affairs of Pakistan through Afghanistan, which most of the time Pakistani media point to the crisis in Baluchistan and Waziristan and blame Afghanistan and India for those crisis.
Second, Pakistan think that India expects that there should be an Indian supporter government in Afghanistan, so it will reach its strategic depth against Pakistan. But these claims of Pakistan are inappropriate; because, though India played more significant economic role, compared to Pakistan, in Afghanistan, still there is not such activity of India visible in Afghanistan about what Pakistan has to be concerned. Hamid Karzai, in his interview with Pakistani analyst in 2011, said that if India attacks Pakistan, we will stand with the Pakistani Nation. Even without that it is believable that Afghanistan will never play a negative role in the conflict between the two countries.
Third, India want to be an obstacle for Pakistan in the Middle East, and even cause Pakistan economic and commercial crisis in Afghanistan. If we analyze the Afghanistan-Pakistan bilateral commercial relations, it is clear that they are for the interest of Pakistan. Based on commerce between both the countries since 2001 to 2008, the overall commerce between two countries in 2000 and 2001 was 170 million dollars, but in 2007 and 2008 it reached 1236 million dollars, and in that stage (2007 and 2008) overall commerce between the two countries was 5 billion and 212 million dollars among which 4 billion and 828 million dollars were only the exports of Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Based on another statistics, only in 2012 Afghanistan imported goods with the value of 2 billion dollars from Pakistan; but there are only goods with the value of 212 million dollars imported from India.
The Ongoing Game of India and Pakistan in Afghanistan
Though during Karzai’s government the relationship of both the countries was so dark; but with the inauguration of the new government and presidency of Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, there was a newsletter published by “ARG” which says, “It is a great chance for the relationships of both the countries to improve.”
On the other hand, Pakistan tried to take advantages of the new government, and with sending trip invitation to President Ashraf Ghani, Pakistan sent Sartaj Aziz to Afghanistan. Though the details of the visit are not declared; but it is said that both the parties agreed that the ongoing visits between the high-ranking officials of both the countries will continue. In addition, President Ahmadzai told Sartaj Aziz that they will stop blaming each other, and instead of telling by words, they will enter the stage of action. Meanwhile, Sartaj Aziz said that the inauguration of the new government in Afghanistan is a great chance for peace and security in Afghanistan, and they want to have good relationships with Afghanistan.
Though the trip had a ceremonial aspect, still it was a chance for the improvement of relationship between both the countries, which will be useful for both the countries. Currently it is neither useful for Islamabad, to be concerned about its unwarranted optimism (strategic depth), nor for Kabul, if the concerns of Pakistan are real that Afghan Government will give a chance of proxy war for India in Jalalabad and Kandahar.
As India is currently respected in Afghanistan, this respect is not won by only advertisements; but it is won by investments, projects, and other economic activities in Afghanistan, therefore its soft power increased in the country. But it is important for the Afghan Government to keep the balance of development and successful diplomacy between both the countries (India and Pakistan).
It is a public idea in Afghanistan that still Islamabad has an ironic attitude toward Afghanistan. If, on one hand, it speak of peace, security and stability in Afghanistan; on the other hand, their role in the ongoing insecurity activities is also clear. So Pakistan should know that India and Afghanistan had thousands of years of historical relationship with each other, even before the birth of Pakistan, and its game toward the mentioned relationship is not useful. Meanwhile, India should also think that the armed Taliban are part of the Afghan Nation, and without negotiation with them, the development and real peace in Afghanistan is impossible.
The End