Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Kabul-Islamabad Cooperation for Peace

Afghan and Pakistani leaders once again reiterated their determination for building close relations and cooperating on the Afghan peace efforts. The Pakistani Prime Minister’s visit to Afghanistan is the first since the National Unity Government’s takeover in Afghanistan. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Kabul is highlighted by recent efforts of the Afghan government to kick-start a Pakistan-assisted peace talks with the Taliban. At a joint press conference in Kabul on Tuesday May 12, 2015, Afghan President Muhammad Ashraf Ghani stressed that the two nations will never again become victims of short-sighted approaches. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also specifically said that “no enemy of Afghanistan can be a friend of Pakistan," and that peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan is in best interests of both countries. The two leaders asserted that both Kabul and Islamabad will work together to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan.

By Abdul Ahad Bahrami

The visit of Pakistani Prime Minister and the high-profile delegation accompanying him is in fact a part of follow-up diplomatic efforts to conclude the two countries’ future course of cooperation on not only mutual relations but most importantly the Afghan peace process. Since the new unity government came into power in Afghanistan, Islamabad have made specific and clear commitments to help Afghanistan in bringing the Taliban to table of negotiations. The shift of policy in Islamabad is seen as result of Afghanistan’s new government’s policies towards the neighbors and regional countries in order to have their backing for resumption of an Afghan-led peace talks. In recent months, the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have improved rapidly and the two sides have reached remarkable understanding on how to cooperate for peace in Afghanistan.

In fact, the civil government of Pakistan had suggested from the beginning of taking power in the country that it was ready to do more to help Afghanistan for reaching a peace deal with the Taliban. Initially, this helped the two countries to build mutual trusts required for cooperation on the desire of peace in Afghanistan. However, time and again the two sides – President Karzai’s administration and the Pakistani government –failed to overcome distrusts and view the issue of peace in Afghanistan through a strategic and long-term approach. In recent years, another crucial change in Pakistan’s policy towards Afghanistan affairs has been almost unprecedented harmony between the country’s powerful military establishment and the Pakistani civilian government. While the mood in Islamabad was ready for pushing the peace in Afghanistan, the formation of the National Unity Government (NUG) in Kabul came at a right time to take a cohesive approach with Pakistan towards peace in Afghanistan.

The recent improvements in the two countries’ relations set high expectations in Afghanistan both among political class and the public for restart of peace talks and an eventual deal for ending the conflict. Afghan government officials suggested imminent of resumption of peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Many saw the level of cooperation between the two countries over the Afghan peace efforts as unprecedented. As result of the diplomatic efforts by leaders of the Afghan unity government, both military and civilian officials in Pakistani publicly suggested that the Taliban would have no choice but negotiations for peace, and that enemy of Afghanistan would be enemy of Pakistan.

However, despite the early announcements of imminent peace talks with the Taliban, the government of Afghanistan failed to start an immediate process of peace negotiations with the militant groups. With the warmth of the weather, the Taliban launched concerted and deadly attacks as part of their spring offensive in many of the provinces across Afghanistan. The onset of a deadly spring fighting targeting vast swathes of lands in different parts of Afghanistan particularly in the north brought many to the conclusions that the peace negotiations may not resume as the war escalates. Even, many turned skeptical towards Pakistan’s promise of helping the peace talks in Afghanistan. The failure to start the pledged process of talks was also interpreted as Pakistan’s failure in fulfilling its pledge for helping in the process.

Pakistan had a supportive role in the recent ‘peace discussions’ between Afghan officials and the Taliban delegation in Qatar. The Taliban has been encouraged in recent months to enter peace negotiations with the government of Afghanistan. While the informal talks were taking place in Qatar, the Pakistani government welcomed the talks and encouraged the Taliban to engage in talks for exploring ways for ending the conflict in Afghanistan. The Pakistani government has had constructive role in facilitating travel of Taliban members and arranging Qatar as the venue for talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

However, there are also widespread skepticisms among Afghan political elites and former government officials towards Pakistan’s promised pledge for helping the Afghan government in entering negotiations with the Taliban. As the insurgency is wreaking havoc in large swathes of Afghanistan, many are losing hopes for restart of a Pakistani-assisted process of talks with the Taliban. With the continued violence, many believe that Pakistan is still holding back its full cooperation for starting peace talks with the Taliban. The public losing trust on Afghan and Pakistani cooperation for immediate start of peace negotiations would not be helpful for the whole process.

Therefore, Pakistani and Afghan governments do not have many choices for testing each other and delaying the much-awaited talks with the militant groups. The Pakistani leader rightly condemned the ongoing Taliban attacks in Afghanistan and expressed concerns over continued violence in the country. He also asserted that his country will stand against any efforts for destabilizing Afghanistan. Very promising, but perhaps now it is the time for Pakistan to prove it in action.