Not only the year-end departure of US-led coalition force begs of Kabul to reorient its foreign policy, in fact it is under way already given the newly-elected Ghani-Abdullah duo's admitted capacity to boost their country's regional context. Instead of Afghanistan being treated as a pawn of international politics, that it had been for more than three decades, they seemed to be convinced that their country has the right potential to act, and to be treated accordingly, as an independent member of the international community. No wonder then the neighbouring China was the first country the newly elected President Ashraf Ghani paid a visit, and told his hosts that for Afghanistan 'China is a strategic partner, in the short term, medium term and very long term'. In response President Xi promised him 'a new era of co-operation'. Not that its close neighbour Pakistan was ever short of goodwill for the people of Afghanistan, but it remained unresponded given the former president Hamid Karzai's perfunctory comprehension of foreign affairs and his plastic mind to get promptly printed by anti-Pakistan propaganda. Invariably, he blamed Pakistan for his continuing failure to ensure his government's writ across the country, his favourite hobby-horse being Pakistan's alleged support to Afghan Taliban. Rightly then in the election of Ghani-Abdullah duo as the new guards in Kabul the Nawaz Sharif government saw a game-changer possibility of shedding the acrimonious past and build bridges of mutual trust and co-operation. Pakistan was represented at swearing-in of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah at the presidential level, and then sent PM Advisor Sartaj Aziz to invite the newly elected Afghan president. Since the rulers in Kabul, like many others around the world believe that in matters of foreign policy Pakistan military is the sole arbiter quite appropriately Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has paid a visit to Kabul and discussed ways and means to improve security situation on both sides of the common border with top Afghan civilian and defence leadership.
In his meetings with Afghan leadership General Raheel Sharif focused on two distinct but inter-related issues: rampart militancy subverting peace and stability on both sides of the common border and capacity enhancement of Afghan defence forces following the departure of Nato troops. Seeking his hosts indulgence for the need to overlook the suspicion-ridden past he told the new Afghan leadership that Pakistan wants to open 'a new chapter' in the bilateral relationship, as peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in Pakistan's best interest. Terrorism he said is the common enemy of both Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the two should join hands to cope with this menace. If the presence of Haqqani network in Afghanistan is of concern to the Afghan government from Pakistan's point of view Mullah Fazlullah's presence in the Afghanistan province Kunar is a major source of terrorism. He assured the Afghan leaders that military operation Zarb-i-Azb is going apace throughout North Waziristan and adjoining tribal across the board, independent of any consideration is the target are so-called good Taliban or bad Taliban. As the chance would have it, the very insinuation made public by the Pentagon report on the eve of General Raheel Sharif's Kabul visit alleging Pakistan has soft corner for the Haqqani network was rebutted by none else but the Nato-led force commander in Afghanistan Lieutenant-General Joe Anderson. Substantially differing from the said report he says Zarb-i-Azb has 'disrupted the Haqqani network's ability to launch attacks in Afghanistan'. Pakistan army chief also offered the Afghan government 'full range of training courses and facilities' in his country's training institutions, as well as capacity enhancement of an infantry brigade including provision of weapons. How these offers play out only time will tell, but, as per DGPR's comment, "this time, the Afghan side looked interested in accepting Pakistan's offer". Hopefully later this month, during President Ashraf Ghani visit here Pakistan's offer to train Afghan forces will acquire concrete form, unlike before when such an offer was not accepted because of Islamabad's alleged backing of Afghan Taliban.
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