Pakistan has always considered Afghanistan as its brother. The people of the two countries are bound by this great bond of brotherhood, which our beloved Prophet Muhammad declared in his last sermon that "one Muslim is the brother of another Muslim". History has shown that whenever a difficult time came to Afghanistan, Pakistan was the first to help.
Afghanistan must also bear in mind the fact that it was Pakistan that gave its people full support to restore Afghanistan's sovereignty and independence in the days of Soviet aggression. It also opened its soil to more than 3 million Afghan refugees and helped them in every way possible.
The nature of the improvement in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations is not limited to these two countries, but the regional security and political stability of the entire region are essentially linked to peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan's own peace cannot be seen in political isolation. Pakistan is facing several challenges in its internal stability due to the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. One of the most serious issues is mistrust. Because when the climate of distrust prevails in countries to move forward and correct the situation, the possibilities for improvement are also limited.
The problem of Pakistan is that there is more peace in Afghanistan than how much peace Afghanistan can create for itself. Those who think that Pakistan does not want internal peace in Afghanistan are not correct. Pakistan has repeatedly tried to find a way between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban that would guarantee their internal peace. But Afghanistan's internal crisis is complex, and its seriousness is not limited to its internal crisis, its external crisis also causes problems for them.
The problem with Pakistan and Afghanistan is that those who think that we can make a difference by simply pursuing a policy of anarchy, including blame, anger, and hatred, are also mistaken. Because in the past, the problems of Afghanistan could not be solved by force. The Afghan government, with the help of coalition forces, including the United States, has not been able to eliminate the Taliban, nor has the Taliban been able to occupy Afghanistan based on war.
Pakistan has been convincing the international community, including the Afghan government, that the solution to the Afghan problem is political and that an acceptable solution can only be found based on dialogue between the parties. In the current situation, the Afghan government, including the United States, has concluded that a way should be found for dialogue. The negotiating table that Pakistan had set up between the US, the Afghan government, and the Taliban in Qatar and Islamabad could not prove fruitful due to India's negative policy. In the past, any political or administrative efforts made by the United States, the Afghan government, and other parties to find a solution to the Afghan problem by expelling Pakistan have not been fruitful.
Pak-Afghan relations with love and hate
Ever since Pakistan came into being, its relations with its neighbor Afghanistan have been going through strange ups and downs. Afghanistan and Pakistan, despite being geographically, religiously, socially, generally, and commercially connected, still suffer from a seemingly never-ending political animosity and are unable to take full advantage of their historical ties.
If these relations had been established, the standard of living of millions of people living in the area, especially the Pashtun people, would have been much better. The wars fought against foreign aggression in Afghanistan have had a profound effect on Pakistan, as a result of which millions of Afghan refugees are still in Pakistan, with no hope of repatriation.
Pak-Afghan Durand Line Dispute
The Durand Line was drawn in 1893 because of an agreement between the then British Empire and the Afghan ruler Abdul Rahman Khan. It was created because British authorities feared the Russian Empire's ambitions in the region. The British Empire wanted to keep Afghanistan an independent country that could keep other armies away from British-held territory in the region.
The issue of the Durand Line has complicated the unpredictable nature of Pak-Afghan relations since the formation of Pakistan. All Afghan rulers accepted the Durand Line as an internationally recognized border, but that changed after Pakistan came into being in 1947. Pakistan has erected 90% fences on the 2,640 km long border.
The government of Pakistan believes in resolving issues through 'understanding and dialogue' like 'good neighbors' and this issue needs to be resolved through diplomatic channels. The Pak-Afghan border fence dispute should be resolved through "diplomatic means".
In addition, in the wake of these wars being fought in Afghanistan, covert wars were also fought against Pakistan, which led to widespread destruction and devastation. Terrorism has further increased Pak-Afghan distances over the past decade. This has led to a backlash against the Afghan refugees living in Pakistan as well as the Pakistani people, especially those living in the former tribal areas, who have faced many difficulties during counter-terrorism operations.
Now the United States and the Afghan government are well aware that without the help of Pakistan, neither the Afghan peace nor the Afghan Taliban can be brought to the negotiating table. One problem was that the United States and the Afghan government believed that the Afghan Taliban was in Pakistan's hands and that Pakistan was directly responsible for their decisions.
On the contrary, it has been convincing Pakistan, the United States, and the Afghan government that we no longer influence the Afghan Taliban to be bound by our every decision. They are independent and are not subject to our decisions. Similarly, Pakistan has believed that terrorism and the support of terrorists from Afghan soil in Pakistan are destabilizing our internal stability. India and Afghanistan have been promoting the notion in the world that Pakistan as a state is sponsoring terrorism in the region, which has been a source of strain in relations.
Pakistan has also been emphasizing that on the one hand, the Afghan government wants peace with our help and on the other hand its alliance with India is hostile in the context of Pakistan. Pakistan has been adamant that the Afghan-Indian nexus in the face of terrorism in Pakistan is also a challenge to our internal security. The growing Indian pressure on the Afghan government and the inclination of many in the Afghan government towards India has become a major problem for us.
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, it is not yet clear what the situation will be there and what will be the nature of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
Pak-Afghan Future relations prospects?
The gulf between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the past has widened over time. Decades have passed in this bitterness, but these two countries are still standing in the past. New generations are now preparing to withstand the worst of these 'suspicions'. For Pakistan, the issue of "support for Greater Pakhtunistan and the Baloch separatists" stands there, but it is time to forget the bitterness of the past and lay the foundation for a brighter future.
Pakistan's policies towards Afghanistan will not change unless it is guaranteed that Afghan territory will not be used against it and no attempt will be made to divide Pakistan geographically.
On the other hand, the Islamabad government must be assured that it will support the Kabul government in the future, not those who are against the central government. Decades later, the two countries once again have an excellent opportunity to forget the bitterness of the past and think about the future of future generations. Other countries will look after their interests, but the real decision is to be made by the 'influential figures and groups' of these two countries, whether they want to see guns or pens in the hands of future generations in a few decades.
Conclusion
There is a need for the government of Afghanistan to consider border management on the part of Pakistan. Instead of formulating its policies at the behest of others, the Afghan government itself should assess whether the steps taken by Pakistan are beneficial or detrimental to Afghanistan. It will know the truth for itself. However, if it continues to follow the dictates of others, it will be a loss-making deal because no other country can play the role that Pakistan can play for Afghanistan more than Pakistan.
However, both countries should move away from the past and take advantage of the new scenario and possibilities. Because these practices, and policies are in the interest of both the countries and peace, security, cooperation, and better relations between the two countries. I wish we could make progress and the Afghan people, in particular, could find a way to peace. Pakistan's cooperation is certain but this war is the Afghans' own and they have to find a solution. Pakistan should help the Afghan brothers in this matter.
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