Peace with Afghanistan is very important
Peace with Afghanistan is very important
Editorial
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Pak-Afghan border in Chitral district has left five civilians and six soldiers hurt on the Pakistan side, and an indeterminate number of casualties among the Afghans, with the ISPR limiting itself to saying that the Afghans used APCs to remove the corpses of the dead. The clash is said to have developed out of a dispute over Pakistan constructing border fencing, supposed to be part of the fence being constructed to prevent anyone crossing the border illegally. Afghanistan portrayed the construction as of being of a border installation. There have been previous incidents of the Afghans firing on Pakistani working parties, which include civilian labourers, because of suspicions about what exactly is being done.

Pak-Afghan border in Chitral district has left five civilians and six soldiers hurt on the Pakistan side, and an indeterminate number of casualties among the Afghans, with the ISPR limiting itself to saying that the Afghans used APCs to remove the corpses of the dead. The clash is said to have developed out of a dispute over Pakistan constructing border fencing, supposed to be part of the fence being constructed to prevent anyone crossing the border illegally. Afghanistan portrayed the construction as of being of a border installation. There have been previous incidents of the Afghans firing on Pakistani working parties, which include civilian labourers, because of suspicions about what exactly is being done.

Pakistan is supposed to be helping the US to deal with the Taliban. It will not find itself with much ability to talk to the Kabul government, if its soldiers keep shooting up Afghan troops. At present, however, it seems that the government in Islamabad feels it can do anything. Not only is it trying to broker a US-Taliban deal, it is also doing its best to broker a peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran, something which has never before been possible. The incident on the Pak-Afghan border might serve as a reminder that Pakistan might be spreading itself too thin, not to mention that it would be making a gross mistake if it assumed that the parties would take it at its own evaluation.

It would be best if it stopped trying to prove its utility to the US by a Middle Eastern adventure that merely exposes it to charges of being a US lackey, and concentrate on its own issues. A US-Taliban deal that helps Afghanistan move towards peace and stability would be in Pakistan’s interest, and it needs to maintain a good relationship with it if it is to play a positive role in that.

The Afghans always objected to any construction on this side of international frontiers claiming it as disputed territory and they off and on resort to firing and shooting when the people were engaged in construction work. In any case, it was not Pakistan that had imposed its will on Afghanistan under threat or Afghanistan agreed to it under duress.

Both the countries are victims of terrorism and both are facing the Taliban menace for the past 16 years while the Afghans are facing the civil war for the past three decades. The losses are huge as more than 5000 security personnel of Pakistan lost their lives while more than 50,000 civilians killed in acts of terrorism, mostly by the Taliban and their affiliates. The Afghan losses and suffering are much greater in all aspects as there is a civil war for over 30 years. Afghanistan needs peace and it is possible by getting support from its immediate neighbours—Pakistan and Iran. Before launching the massive military operations against the terrorists in the tribal regions, Pakistan requested Afghanistan to close the border so that the terrorists should not escape to Afghanistan and get refuge or shelter there. Pakistan’s warning and advice was ignored and now the same Taliban groups are fighting the Afghan Government which is unfortunate. Finally, the option adopted by Afghan Government to use diplomatic means for finding a solution to the present conflict. It is in the interest of regional peace and security that all the countries should cooperate in eliminating all the potential threat to peace in the region. There should be zero tolerance in all forms and acts of terrorism in the whole region.