After the establishment of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, celebrations began in Pakistan. But that doesn’t lasted too long.
We have been under the impression that Afghan soil will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, whom we have nurtured for the past 40 years, will now be our allies and their land will not be used against us. But it was only a crude illusion because not only the Taliban started turning away from us, but India also started strengthening its ties with Kabul.
We should have realized in August last year that the Taliban may change their behavior after coming to power. The evidence was also that the 800 workers of Tehreek-e-Taliban who were arrested during Ashraf Ghani’s tenure were arrested by Afghans. The Taliban released but did not hand over to Pakistan and these released TTP members are again engaged in operations against Pakistan.
Our estimates proved to be wrong i.e. miscalculation of the situation, the second thing is optimism and naivety i.e. when the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021, Pakistan did not make any preparations to face the situation in the hope that the new government fraternal relations.
The statement by the Taliban that the Afghan border will not be used against Pakistan is the Doha Agreement of February 28, which is also reflected in the Security Council meeting, and the Security Council also emphasized this in its resolution. Afghan land will not be a cause of terrorism for any other country and Afghan land will not be used for any terrorism.
The international community wants Afghanistan not to become a tool of any terrorists after the Afghan land is under the control of the Taliban and the Afghan government is also demanded to protect the rights of women, children and minorities. All these facts are brought into the agreement and there is also a monitoring team of the Security Council that reviews the implementation of all factors.
The same Security Council committee provided evidence that TTP and other terrorist groups, including ISIS, are still operating from Afghanistan. Therefore, not only Pakistan is telling the Taliban government that its people should not commit terrorism across the border, but other countries of the international community are also demanding the same from them.
International human rights organizations and UN agencies are also working in Afghanistan, which can exert pressure on the international community as well as the Afghan government separately to eradicate terrorism. We want better governance in Afghanistan because we know that Mujahideen were first brought to Afghanistan and then Mujahideen turned into Taliban while Pakistan has maintained its relations with Afghanistan for decades.
If we continue with the policy of the past, our negotiations with Afghanistan may come to some conclusion. With the Taliban, militant groups and TTP etc., there is not only a difference in strategy or behavior, but they are separate groups that are divided by different ideologies.
The militant groups have fought US and NATO forces while living together in Afghanistan, and have previously fought Russia. These militant groups found in Afghanistan today are ideologically against the democratic government established in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and they want the implementation of Sharia law in Afghanistan as well as in Pakistan.
Especially the elements belonging to TTP and some Taliban have similar views. This is the reason why various accusations are made against Pakistani security forces, while the Indian intelligence agency RAW and the Modi government have also cut a good budget for inciting Afghanistan’s militant groups against Pakistan and carrying out terrorist attacks.
When the new Taliban government took over Afghanistan in 2021, we thought that this government would control the militant groups, but these militant groups have once again been organized and are being used against Pakistan.
Today, Pakistanis as a nation have to strengthen their arms and hands, as they did during the operations against terrorists like Radd ul-Fasaad and Zarb-i-Azab, but left some points weak during the implementation of the National Action Plan. went, on which further action is needed today.
For example, the country’s political leadership agreeing to this point, implementation of FATA reforms and repatriation of Afghan refugees in other provinces of the country including Sindh, as well as reactivating Necta are also included in the above-mentioned points. Pakistan can resort to legal diplomacy, official diplomacy and traditional diplomacy to resolve issues with Afghanistan.
The second point is the use of forces for the control of terrorism and our security forces are at the forefront of suppressing terrorists in an efficient manner and Rakim al-Haruf has repeatedly said that the solution to our problems with the Taliban is already in the National Action Plan.
However, we need a big budget and resources to solve all the problems. The 131-page dossier given by Pakistan should be fully briefed by diplomatic missions and voiced in the international community through countries where human rights representatives are present, all these factors not only in Afghanistan but also in India. will also lead to increased pressure and then a resolution can be presented in the Security Council where the use of veto powers can also be more likely to be in Pakistan’s favor but aggressive diplomacy is necessary for this.
By invoking Chapters 5, 6, 7 of the UN Charter to prevent countries like India from sponsoring terrorism, we cannot expect the Taliban government of Afghanistan to correct issues such as cross-border firing with Pakistan. Hence, since the delivery of the dossier, Pakistan will have to resort to consistency and long-term diplomacy and win this diplomatic battle.
Pakistan is also getting support from the tribal side, but we need to do more on this front as well so that there is more pressure on Afghanistan and the tribal people have their own interests that one cousin is in Afghanistan and the other is in Pakistan.
Apart from cross-border firing and terrorism, there are also smuggling and other crimes that Pakistan needs to monitor and curb. We have to strengthen our efforts on the diplomatic front keeping in mind the ties and relationships that span across borders.
Our tribal people are very patriotic and we have very deep and brotherly relations with them and they continue to help Pakistan by putting pressure on Afghanistan. There are elements in the Afghan Taliban who have a soft spot for Pakistan and Pakistan can ask the countries of the region, especially China and Russia, to raise their voice in this regard.
Apart from Russia and China, Iran can also help Pakistan, while all these countries are already carefully evaluating the situation in Afghanistan and have more or less the same ideas and position as Pakistan regarding Afghanistan. So when we move forward to pass the resolution in the Security Council, the international community will be with us.
The US has already asked Pakistan to provide all possible cooperation on the issue of CTD, but in this matter we are walking on the edge of the sword because what is meant by US cooperation, only the Biden government knows. There is already a standoff between the US and China and in view of the CPEC projects, the US is also against Pakistan in some respects.
The matter of CPEC and then the assurance of all possible cooperation from the US has to be looked at very carefully because this matter of diplomacy is very complicated. It is important for us to pass the resolution in the Security Council and also be wary of the neighboring country India which has been using the territory of Afghanistan against Pakistan and will continue with the same policy in the future.
We have fought a successful war against the terrorists and have contained them, which has also shown the Taliban government that we are not going to sit back and die only by ending terrorism. Terrorism is on the rise and we have to respond with full force. On the diplomacy front, multi-purpose thinking has to be adopted considering the bilateral level and the situation in the region.
Before receiving possible aid from the US, Pakistan has to give an impression very wisely that this aid will not be used against the operation in Afghanistan.
The recent statements coming from the US should not give the impression to the Taliban in Afghanistan that maybe Pakistan is going to participate in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan again and may conduct joint operations in Afghanistan with the US.
Such a perception may push Pakistan towards a dire scenario which is very important to avoid otherwise Pakistan may get stuck in a quagmire that may be difficult and complicated to get out of this time.
Translated by: M.M. News Editorial Team
