Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Dilkusha Palace in Kabul on Tuesday, May 12, 2015. PHOTO: PID
There is an acceptance that the two countries face a common enemy that seeks the overthrow of both states, and it makes good sense to join forces to fight the Taliban threat whatever its local brand-name may be. This new-found rapprochement will be much welcomed by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who is far from secure. His government is still ‘settling in’ and there are deep divisions within it, divisions unresolved by a power-sharing agreement cobbled together after the election that — eventually — brought him to power. The Taliban are still a powerful fighting force and active across much of Afghanistan, not only in their strongholds of the south and east. “The enemies of Afghanistan cannot be the friends of Pakistan,” said our prime minister, and if he really means that then the support that was sustained for jihadi elements by Pakistan during the time of the doctrine of ‘strategic depth’ has also had a line drawn under it. Peace talks with the Taliban in Doha stumble around in confusion and ultimately it has to be talks and not war. Unfortunately, the war has to be fought before the talks become meaningful.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 14th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
1714819959-0/Untitled-design-(21)1714819959-0-270x192.webp)
COMMENTS (3)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ