Ties with Kabul: Islamabad urged to avoid linking security issues to trade

ISLAMABAD: Former diplomats belonging to Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as senior security analysts have urged Islamabad to avoid seeing its relations with Kabul from the lens of security by abandoning the approach of linking security issues with trade between the neighbouring countries.

Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan and ex-Afghan envoy to Islamabad Dr Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, former National Security Adviser Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua (retired), ex-foreign secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan, and others were speaking at a consultation on “Afghan peace and reconciliation: Pakistan’s interests and policy options”, which was organised by Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).

They were of the opinion that Pakistan’s parliament should take a lead in devising any policy for Afghanistan and that the Islamabad-Kabul relationship should be seen beyond the counterterrorism and security issues.

They also urged the need for a soft management of the Pakistan-Afghan border to remove hurdles in trade activities and the movement of people between both countries.

Mansoor Ahmad Khan, in his remarks, stated that the mistrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan has widened with the passage of time, adding that Pakistan’s image has continuously gone down in Afghanistan.

He said Afghans were clear in their minds that there should be state-to-state civilian and civilized relations between the two countries, adding it is important to give a civilian face to this relationship.

He said Afghans are categorical in their demand about movement of people and facilitation in trade and soft management of the Pakistan-Afghan border is crucial in this regard.

Former Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Dr Zakhilwal while speaking lamented that Pakistan sees Afghanistan as a potential threat for it, which is not based on facts.

He said Pakistan should not make conditional promotion of trade with Afghanistan by linking it with security issues.

“Let us focus on trade, economy, enhancing infrastructure and people-to-people contacts,” he said, adding the issue of the presence of outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan could be dealt with in a broader national discussion.

He further stated that fencing of Pakistan-Afghan border is never a solution to the problem. Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua (retired) said Pakistan perhaps did not understand the problems of Taliban.

“We are seeing our relations with the Taliban and Afghanistan from the lens of TTP,” he deplored, adding that both the countries shared a common future and this should not be made a hostage of one militant group. He suggested that Pakistan needs to re-orientate its approach towards the neighbouring Afghanistan.

Riaz Mohammad Khan emphasized that Pakistan needs clarity on its Afghan policy, adding that the focus should be state-to-state relations. “Let us understand each other’s interests,” he said, adding Pakistan should even go beyond trade with its neighbour.

Lt Gen Waheed Arshad (retired), former Chief of the General Staff (CGS) said that both countries should see each other as sovereign states. “Every state has its own strategic interests,” he said, adding there was no convergence of strategic interests between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mirwais Yasini, former first deputy speaker of the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament, stated that there is an issue of trust deficit between the two countries. He urged the need to build trust between the two countries and to concentrate on the interests of the people of both countries.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023