Newly elected President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani opted to
visit Pakistan as his maiden visit after being elected. The Americans are
withdrawing from Afghanistan this year and the Taliban eagle is spreading its
wing to swoop and snatch power from the elected democratic Government.
Looking to this dangerous scenario , Ghani perhaps thought
that instead of talking to the dog why not talk to its masters who are holding
the leash. That is the Pakistan Army. The question which remains to be answered
is will the Pakistan Army help Afghanistan in demolishing the Taliban and
support the duly elected Government in Kabul to rule democratically according
to the wishes of its people.
The history of Pakistan supporting various terrorist
organisations as proxies to achieve its dangerous foreign policy objectives is
well known.Adm. Mullen the then Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff succinctly
testified in the Senate Armed Services Committee as under
"In choosing to use violent extremism as an instrument
of policy, the government of Pakistan … jeopardizes not only the prospect of
our strategic partnership, but also Pakistan's opportunity to be a respected
nation with legitimate regional influence,"In its
report dated October of this year The US Department of Defense's biannual report
titled "Progress Towards Security and Stability in Afghanistan. "
states as under
" Pakistan continues to serve
as a safe haven for the Taliban and other jihadist groups and that the
Pakistani government often uses some terrorist organizations as proxies."
The world
today acknowledges Pakistan as a nursery of terrorists.
Keeping
the above facts in view it becomes very difficult for any person to believe
that Mr Ghani present overtures to Pakistan will result in any substantial
change in its deep rooted relationship with terrorism. It should not be forgotten
that Taliban and Haqqani network are the children of Pakistan Army. Right from
raising these groups,supplying cadres from madrassas located in Pakistan,
training them and supplying arms Pakistan has its hand full. These terrorist
groups were raised to wage Pakistan war in Afghanistan. To keep Afghanistan out
of India's influence and to see that the Govt of Afghanistan remains under its
thumb. Today Mr. Ghani main concern is to defeat the Taliban and exterminate it
from the soil of Afghanistan. Does he really think that his utterly butterly
visit will make Pakistan a ally to jointly defeat the Taliban? Will the
Pakistan Army launch a joint operation with Afghanistan to fight the Taliban
and Haqqani group? A big NO. Pakistan is not going to do any such thing. This
is because Pakistan's strategic depth policy does not allow this. The army in
Pakistan strongly holds the view that Afghanistan should be a extension of
Pakistan. It should be friendly towards Pakistan, which to them means anti
Indian and its economy and trade heavily tilted towards Pakistan. In a nutshell
Afghanistan should be its slave. This means Afghanistan should not have a independent foreign and defence policy.
Afghans are a proud race and its people are aware that Pakistan has a major
role in inflicting years of death and destruction upon them. Therefore Mr Ghani
should carefully tread the path with Pakistan and should be cautious in not
getting trapped. There is all the possibility that Pakistan is playing the role
of a double crosser. Softening the resistance of Afghanistan towards Taliban
and secretly preparing the Taliban for
the final strike.
Just
after Mr.Ghani left Pakistan Mr Sartaz
Aziz advisor to Nawaz Sharif on security affairs gave this interesting
statement to BBC urdu
"When the United States
attacked Afghanistan, all those that were trained and armed were pushed towards
us.Some of them were dangerous for us and some are not. Why must we make
enemies out of them all?,” he said when speaking about the Haqqani Network.He further said that the Afghan Taliban are Afghanistan’s
problem and Haqqani Network is a part of it. " So the cat is out of the bag. Pakistan will protect good
Taliban and fight bad Taliban till they turn good. So Mr Ashraf Ghani be
prepared for a proxy war to destabilise
your country. Your appeal to Pakistan for better relations have
obviously not made any effect on them.There
was a interesting event in the itinerary of Mr.Ghani. He was to meet the COAS
of Pakistan first and then the Prime Minister of Pakistan. This never happens
in any other country. The visiting Head of State always meets his opposite first. In this case
he should have met Mr. Nawaz Sharif first. Mr Ghani called on Gen. Raheel
Sharif at GHQ Rawalpindi. See the photo above. Ghani sitting in a supplication
posture before a puffed up General with a stick in his hand. The message is
clear. I decide the foreign and defence policy of Pakistan and not the elected
PM of Pakistan. Mr Ghani should contemplate whether any trustworthy
negotiations are possible with a nation where its army has usurped the power of
the PM. The Pakistan Army priority will be to destabilise Afghanistan to extend
its power rather than do anything better for the people of Afghanistan.
Pakistan
time and again has impressed upon Afghanistan that it should not allow Indian
influence to grow there. Infact it wants that Indian consulates should be
closed, massive development projects by India should be terminated and training
of their defence personnel's by India be
stopped. It seems that Pakistan has forgotten that Afghanistan is a independent country free to take its
decisions and develop ties with any country in the world. How can Pakistan
decide who should be friend or not of Afghanistan ? This is a insult to the
dignity of a proud and independent nation. Mr Ghani should carefully ponder
whether in his pursuit for a resurgent Afghanistan he should allow such
interference in its internal affair by Pakistan.
Mr Ghani
would also be aware that large amount of Afghan territory is under the illegal
occupation of Pakistan. The Durand line has never been recognized by any Afghan
Govt.These Pashtun territories legitimately belongs to Afghanistan and demand
for its return should be pressed upon Pakistan in any negotiations.
Whether
this visit of Mr Ashraf Ghani would bear any fruit and bring peace and
stability in the region is doubtful because Pakistan game plan is to keep
Afghanistan as a slave. No self respecting nation will allow this to happen. It
is for Afghanistan to decide its future course independently. India is a well trusted
and well tested friend. We dont want the Taliban there. We dont want
Islamisation and militancy in Afghanistan. Our goals are similar and therefore
Mr Ghani should strengthen its relation with India further instead of being
bullied by Pakistan.
AK BUNDI
