The American administration strategy is seemingly to find ground and roots in South Asia region in particular Afghanistan and Pakistan as political, economic and security moves are reported in news reports.
The Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General: Qamar Bajwa is on Kabul’s visit who met the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and discussed the regional security. It’s the first visit of the Pakistan Army chief after the BRICS declaration and the President Donald Trump strategy announcement. According to experts Pakistan’s security establishment feel pressure and are afraid would get the country isolated among the International Community, unless they meet the American strategic demands.
The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in 2014 visited General Headquarter on his visit to Pakistan showing his move that Pakistan’s elected government in the leadership of the then premier Nawaz Sharif was not responsible for the Pakistani Foreign Policy toward Afghanistan.
The moves are though reportedly scheduled visits from both the countries but are visibly the fresh silence breaking whistle after the American President Donald Trump announcement of South Asia strategy in the month of August.
The Afghan chief executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah on his foreign visit has announced that the Afghan government has “open door” for Taliban to come and sit for dialogue. Earlier the Trump strategy had mentioned that his administration would not interfere in Afghan led and Afghan government approved dialogue between Taliban and Afghan government.
Though once again the Taliban political office who’re responsible for peace and political dialogue with Afghan government have released their statement that once again there are moves to close down the Taliban office in Qatar. The statement states, it’s a clear sign that neither Americans nor their allies in Afghanistan are ready for a peaceful solution of the conflict “proposed by the Islamic Emirate”.
The recent Taliban statement and their concern are showing their future role in peace talks with the Afghan government is seemingly a result of the Trump strategy for South Asia. Trump in his strategy speech had announced that Afghanistan can have their own led peace talks with Taliban.
Before Abdullah’s announcement the Afghan National Security Advisor for Afghan president Hanif Atmar was reported by leading Pakistani newspaper DAWN to be near with Pakistan for exchanging the prisoners probably the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan leaders detained in Kabul with Islamabad to get the Tehreek e Taliban Afghanistan leadership who are in the custody of Pakistani security agencies.
The Pakistan’s elected government has always tried to take control of the Foreign Policy from the powerful establishment to the parliament floor whether it is to debate the relations with Afghanistan, India and Iran. And now it’s time to for the elected government to cash on the pressure by the Trump administration and achieve the longer goal of the democratic political parties. And the political figures who are related to Afghanistan through their histories, culture, and language, religious and geographical connections the Pashtuns MPs, always suggests that a peaceful Afghanistan, ending hatred based relations with Afghanistan and other neighboring nations in the region are the only way for a peaceful Pakistan in the future.
The Trump administration pressure on Pakistan can push the country’s military establishment to say goodbye to the term of “good and bad” terrorists and say no to the long raised Afghan Taliban on its soil. Because the new strategy has gone to the peak of harsh behavior as many in the U.S. have asked about the Pakistan non-Nato ally status and its military aid.
But a division among the Afghan Taliban who are having links with both Iran and Russia would be hard to end even if Pakistan stop its Afghan Taliban sanctuaries and support. Though, Taliban has always mentioned in their statements that it is their organ “the Qatar office” that is responsible for dialogue and talks with Afghan government and any other country. Both Russia and Iran are America’s hidden rival in the Middle East who would invest in Afghanistan to keep the International Community security forces bleeding.
Trump included India to partner in Afghan peace and development:
Beside Pakistan much criticized in the Trump strategy for South Asia for its role in the safe havens for the terrorists “Taliban and Al-Qaeda” another point of concern for Pakistan would be India that is asked to play role in the development and support of Afghanistan to minimize regional threats of terrorism. American President revised the words of his South Asian policy again in the United Nations General Assembly.
The Pakistan and India rivalry after the 1947 partition is obvious that has escalated the Kashmir issue on international front and some of the strategist think that a more active India in Afghanistan would be another alarm for its long rival Pakistan. Where Pakistan always blame the terrorists attack on Pakistani soil through Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan and the Baloch insurgency in Balochistan having a back of Indian consulates across Afghanistan. Both India and Afghanistan reject such Pakistani “blames” and many Afghan strategy and regional affairs experts are of the view such Pakistani official rhetoric are mere to legitimize the country’s support to Afghan Taliban who are escalating war against the Afghan government and the International Community in Afghanistan.