The Main Goals of Ashraf Ghani’s Trip to Pakistan

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai had many trips to Pakistan, during his 13 years of government; but finally the relations of both countries reached the point that Karzai in his last speech as the president of the country said that Pakistan want to keep the Afghan Foreign Policy in its own control. So, his speech shows how effective were his trips to Pakistan.

If President Ashraf Ghani’s trips are as same as the ones of Karzai were, the trips will neither cooperate the peace and security in Afghanistan, nor will be improvement visible in the region, therefore at the first stage the below points could be the main goals of President Ashraf Ghani’s trip to Pakistan:

 

Peace:

It seems that President Ashraf Ghani is following his peace plan step by step. It is visible from Ashraf Ghani’s trips that he values the involvement of Turkey, Saudi, China and Pakistan in the Afghan Peace Process.

Pakistan is extremely important country for the peace process of Afghanistan, therefore President Ashraf Ghani want to ask the cooperation of those countries that see their own interests in the peace of Afghanistan, and those countries should not only force Pakistan, but also should guarantee the promises given by Pakistan.

It seems that with the election of President Ashraf Ghani, Pakistan’s diplomacy has changed. The trip of Pakistan’s National Security and Foreign Policy Advisor Sartaj Aziz’s and lately the army chief of Pakistan General Raheel Sharif’s trips to Kabul, and their views it seems that Pakistan also expects changes. During Sartaj Aziz’s trip to Kabul, both the parties promised that they will not express their anger against each other: because it causes the relations of both the country to disbelieve each other. In addition, both the parties compromised that their lands should not be used against each other. Though those words were only ceremonial, still it expresses the eagerness of Pakistan.

The consequence of Pakistani Officials’ trips to Afghanistan, and Raheel Sharif’s propose for signing strategic agreement with Afghanistan express that Pakistan want to open a new chapter of its relationship with Afghanistan. Therefore, President Ashraf Ghani’s this trip, which is for the peace and security in the country, would be the beginning of his upcoming trips.

 

Missile Attacks of Pakistan:

Since last four years Pakistan fired more than 5000 rockets on the eastern parts of Afghanistan. In these attacks hundreds of Afghans are killed and injured, and most of the population of Kunar Province migrated to other safer places of the country.

This case reached its peak during the last years of the former President Karzai’s government in the country, in addition to following the steps of its “Strategic Depth”, it is proved to the world that Pakistan has hypocrisy in its diplomacy.

Some members of the Afghan Upper House requested Ashraf Ghani that he should emphasize about this issue, in his trip to Pakistan. And, at least Pakistan should stop its attacks on Afghan Land to prove its words are true. Otherwise, due to the existing ideas about Pakistan in Afghanistan, its soft power will reach its weakest stage in Afghanistan.

 

Strategic Depth:

Most of the analysts believe that Pakistan is going to follow the policy of the British era, in which British were going to use Afghanistan as a buffer state. Following the same policy, now Islamabad wants to have a friendly government in Kabul, so it will not safe itself from being trapped between Afghanistan and India, but will also enter the war with India through its eastern borders easily.

Since many years, Islamabad was working on the policy of “Strategic Depth”, which caused disbelieve against Pakistan in Kabul and Delhi. In addition, Pakistan is worried about the increase of Delhi’s activities in Afghanistan, especially the security and military cooperation of India with Afghanistan extremely concerned Pakistan.

As it is mentioned in one of the six-month report of the U.S. defense ministry that currently Pakistan is using militias against Afghanistan and India, it is pointing to the “Strategic Depth”.

With respect to this point, on one hand the new Afghan Government should motivate Pakistan to give up its childish game (Strategic Depth) in Afghanistan, on the other hand it should try to remove the concerns of Pakistan about India; because as much Islamabad’s relations are important to Kabul, similarly Delhi’s relations are also important for Kabul.

Pakistan also should give the positive signs of improving its relations and cooperation with Kabul, which will rebuild its soft power in Kabul. For example, at the first stage increasing imports from Afghanistan, softness in the transits way, decreasing taxes of fresh fruits, increasing investment in Afghanistan, and in the security field it should stop missile attacks from the other side of the border.

The End