Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Political Trust will Lead to Peace

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Political Trust will Lead to Peace

In spite of heavy casualties, the Taliban insurgents have expanded their sphere of power in Afghanistan. The battle between the Afghan soldiers and Taliban ragtag militants continue unabated in various parts of the country – which has created fears in public air. As a result, there are reports that at least 65 villages have been collapsed to the Taliban in Badakhshan province just few days back. The Taliban’s intense attacks and suicide bombings have highly frustrated the nation and prompted a large number of Afghan youths to seek refuge to foreign countries.

This comes as the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) hunts for foothold in the country – which is a potential threat for both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Based on local news, The ISIL loyalists have vowed to eliminate the Durand Line in a bid to unite and pave the way for the Muslims divided by the line. A spokesman for the terror group’s self-proclaimed Khurasan province is quoted as saying that the Islamic State eye to destroy the borders similar as they did between Iraq and Syria.

The porous Durand Line has also been a source of tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan where numerous cross-border attacks have been carried out besides the bordering regions have long been and continues to be the main shelter of the terror groups. Meanwhile, affiliates of the terror group have doubled efforts to encourage the dissident high level Taliban commanders to join the ISIL group in a bid to further gain foothold in the country.

According to Khama Press, the spokesman for the terror group said a delegation of prominent scholars have been sent by the group’s Khurasan province chief to Uruzgan province to meet with the senior Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, a senior Taliban commander.

This comes as the group claimed that Mullah Dadullah was rescued from an offensive by the Taliban militants involving 2,100 fighters in southern Zabul province. He said at least 230 ISIL fighters were deployed to Zabul from western Farah province to engage the Taliban militants and rescue Mullah Dadullah.

Mullah Dadullah says he is back to Afghanistan after turning down to work with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and said that the Taliban leaders are selected by the ISI. Dadullah, who is opposed to Mullah Mansour, the current Taliban leader, said Taliban militants who are under the control of Pakistan are fighting his supporters in southern Zabul province.

“They [ISI] proposed their recommendations for me which one of them was that I should kill people they want dead. They had other similar recommendations as well which were against Islam,” Dadullah is cited as saying. He further added that, “They agreed to continue their financial, logistical and technical aid to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – the Taliban’s so-called government – but I rejected their suggestions and I returned to Afghanistan.”

But on the other hand, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif voiced his concerns over the situation in Afghanistan, saying that no force can hamper the historic relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Addressing at a ceremony commemorating on Pakistan’s Defense Day, September 06, he said his country would honestly fight terrorism. “We are concerned about the situation in Afghanistan. We have historic and blood relationships with Afghanistan. No force can break these ties. We have honestly struggled for stability in Afghanistan but a number of enemy groups are trying to damage our struggles. They will not succeed to reach their aim,” the head of Pakistan’s strong army said.

The Afghan-Pak relations had soured following a series of attacks in Kabul which left hundreds dead and wounded behind. Afghan officials believed that the attacks were systemized across the border and blamed Pakistan for failing to fulfill her commitments in combating terrorists. Following the Shah Shaheed bombing, President Ashraf Ghani said, “Pakistan still remains the venue and ground for gatherings from which mercenaries send us a message of war.” Moreover, Afghanistan’s intelligence service said a Pakistani intelligence officer helped the Taliban carry out an attack on parliament in June. Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of not doing enough to arrest Afghan Taliban leaders who have been meeting to decide on a successor to Mullah Muhammad Omar. Similarly, an Afghan delegation to Pakistan last month led by Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani demanded “serious and practical measures” from Islamabad over militant attacks it said came from across the border.

During a recent meeting with Pakistani National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz, President Ashraf Ghani reiterated Kabul’s stance and asked Islamabad to move against terrorist groups inside its territory. “We reiterate our position and state facts, asking Pakistan to take action against terrorist groups inside its territory that declare war against our people,” a statement from the president’s office said.

After the meeting, Sartaj Aziz, who visited Kabul for a regional conference, told the Pakistani media that both countries had agreed to end the blame game and work to restore trust. Speaking on state television last Saturday after meeting Ghani, Reuters cited Aziz as, “The main thing that we both agreed upon was to restore trust, end the blame game against each other and create a positive atmosphere. We will work on establishing memorandum of trust building to avoid such a situation in the future.”

Since the Taliban and ISIL groups blackmail both the countries, the rift between Afghan-Pak officials will let the militant groups to widen their realm of power and gain firm foothold within Afghanistan and Pakistan and therefore, it has to be bridged. Both the countries should end the blame game and restore trust through combating terrorism honestly and eliminating the Taliban’s sanctuaries.

 

Hujjattullah Zia is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at zia_hujjat@yahoo.com

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