Qammer Abbass Anka
“Too often, when people are in trouble, they look for scapegoats”
(Miep Gies)
Pakistan and Afghanistan are close and important neighbors with a long history of common heritage, religio-cultural bonds and diplomatic engagements. Pakistan has always been on the forefront once it comes to assisting Afghanistan on multi faceted issues and always showed magnanimity beyond the call of international obligations. Three decades back when Afghanistan was under Soviet invasion and there was hardly any super power courageous enough to challenge the illegal invasion, Pakistan stood by its Afghan brethren putting its own security at stake. The price of this bold initiative was too high to measure. The consequences of extending practical solidarity with Afghanistan are still haunting Pakistan economically, diplomatically, socially and politically. Afghanistan, which had yet not recovered from trauma of Soviet invasion had to face another jolt in the form of GWOT. The new operation had new challenges for Afghan people. Post Soviet invasion war ridden country had to face brunt of another horrible war but this time the magnitude was much more enormous and devastating. Menaces like TTA, Al Qaeeda and ISIS were pitched against NATO forces with no lesser threat to Afghanistan. The large scale operations and counter operations without any break targeted economy, lives, stability and political process of a crippled State. Moreover, international players with their vested interests have also been exploiting Afghanistan adding more to the miseries of Afghans.
Afghanistan, a war ridden country has mostly been unstable due to internal rifts of war lords or external interventions. The long years of war and political instability have devoid Afghanistan of ability to discriminate between friends and foes. It all is not the fault of Afghanistan only, the conspirators and insinuators both from within as well as the outside are too strong to be countered by the political sanity prevailing in the country.
Pakistan fully understands that a stable Afghanistan means a stable Pakistan. Pakistan has and will continue making concerted efforts in abetting Afghanistan restore stability and peace while anchoring on the mooring of strong diplomacy and all possible support. Initially with Mr Ashraf Ghani coming to power, a cosmos of wise and sincere national leadership emerged in Afghanistan. He, after assuming power reassured his resolve to restore stability in the country. Newly elected Afghan Government showed a strong resolve to ensure peace and harmony in the region with focus on reconstructing Afghanistan. The Government showed strong commitment to foil external conspiracies using Afghan soil to wage proxies against other countries. This development had sent strong message to all conspirators, especially India. Consequently, Indian ply to entice the new Afghan leadership against Pakistan started caving in terribly. Tragic incident of APS, Peshawar deeply moved Afghan President, who termed it as an attack on Afghanistan and ardently pledged to eliminate every type of terrorism exported from Afghan soil. This situation did not suit international players including India and they joined hands in creating dents in Pak-Afghan relations. The international game spoilers in Afghanistan are not hidden from international community. They have their vested interests for which they can run over any one and unfortunately they find it easy to scapegoat Pakistan. They find it convenient to implicate Pakistan for sabotaging peace process in Afghanistan to hide their own evils.
Pakistan has been sacrificing heavily for prosperity and stability of Afghanistan. Hosting over 3 million refugees for more than 3 decades is not an easy task. Today, in this era of globalization when enormous stress is laid on humanitarian aspects, even developed countries like those in EU blatantly refuse to absorb even few dozen Syrian refugees. Despite sufferings of Pakistan, Afghanistan has not been able to make arrangements for early repatriation of refugees. These refugees are posing serious security threats to Pakistan as they have been frequently found affiliated with Afghanistan based terrorist outfits engaged in carrying out deadly terrorist attack on innocent Pakistanis.
Why Afghan Government after every terrorist attack in Afghanistan instead of looking inward for own failures, implicates Pakistan? According to Hakim Hakimi, a research associate in Chatham House, London, “Despite coming to power in 2014 at time when Afghan’s expectations were extremely high, the National Unity Government (NUG) has been unable to deliver on key performance indicators such as economy, security, curbing corruption and establishing a peace process with armed opposition groups. On the domestic side, high expectations of NUG stemmed from Dr Ghani’s election promises where he was able to mobilize millions of Afghans and campaign as a ‘global thinker’ and ‘fixer’ of problems. On international and regional matters, Afghan’s expectations of NUG were favourable because of seemingly improved relations with Pakistan”.
The uphill task of restoring stability and peace in Afghanistan can not be entrusted to any single country, especially Pakistan which herself is the worst victim of terrorism. A safe, peaceful and stable Afghanistan is rather the joint responsibility of international community, especially, the super powers. The unprecedented wave of terrorism which has consumed over sixty thousands lives, mostly of Armed Forces and LEAs is an unasked for reward of our efforts in fighting against Global terrorism. Pakistan’s contributions in international efforts in GWOT can not be over emphasized. Pakistan had set no limits in protecting as well as supporting ISAF during the entire period without caring for her own losses in terms of lives and property. Despite all efforts, sincerity and resolve to help restore peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan is still blamed by US and Afghan Government of not doing enough and being asked to ‘Do more’. This is regrettable as well as ridiculous. Since 2001, the United States and its international partners have expended substantial resources to secure, stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan. Worsening law and order situation in Afghanistan indicates that the progress towards these strategic goals is very grim. If grand ISAF and NATO led operations employing massive resources could not restore peace in Afghanistan, how a small country like Pakistan, thickly engrossed in eradicating menace of terrorism from its soil can be expected to safeguard streets of its neighbour. This blame game engineered by international spoilers and rattled by Afghan Government is highly condemnable.
Pakistan is presently focusing fully on ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb. This indiscriminate operation is against all type of terrorists without any room for good or bad Taliban. The said operation has successfully achieved most of its objectives. Its achievements in eradicating terrorism are frequently applauded by international community including Afghanistan. The operation is at the last stage of its successful culmination. At this critical stage, our valiant Armed Forces can not afford any distraction. The operation is a direct support to Afghan efforts in ensuring a peaceful and terror free Afghanistan. Joint Pak-Afghan operations are testimony of this fact. The success of operation Zarb-e-Azb does not suit to those who want Afghanistan and Pakistan to remain in shambles and unstable. India, an arch rival of Pakistan is acting as a spoiler and is continuing to devise strategies to keep Afghanistan and Pakistan destabilized and on warpath. Indian efforts to widen trust deficit between Pakistan and Afghanistan is also a part of this grand scheme. India, using its own powerful media and strong influence in international media has always tried to gain international sympathy by portraying herself as a victim of terrorism whereas her real ambitions are to get hegemonic status in South Asia. India, by portraying Pakistan as epicenter of terrorism is in fact trying to hide her malicious role in creating instability in Afghanistan. Her ulterior motives in Afghanistan and scheme to create fissures in Afghan-Pakistan friendship need no elucidation.
Both Afghanistan as well as the international community instead of asking Pakistan to do more should identify and unearth the actual spoilers of peace in Afghanistan. The grand design to derail peace process in Afghanistan must be thwarted by all stake holders jointly and indiscriminately. Blaming Pakistan or asking her to ‘Do more’ will be a sheer injustice to Pakistan whose sacrifices are countless. Afghanistan should also distinguish between her friends and the foes, else flames of terrorism will continue burning both Pakistan as well as Afghanistan. Ensuring a peaceful Afghanistan is a joint international responsibility and no one should shy away from this by unnecessarily implicating Pakistan. Every one must be bold enough to admit own failures.
