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The pause in fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan on the eve of Eid is a promising development, and must graduate into a permanent ceasefire. The cessation of hostilities has apparently come under the good offices of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye, underscoring the need for tranquility in the region. The discord between Kabul and Islamabad is rooted in the audacity of the former to ignore the menace of terrorism. Thus came Ghazab Lil Haq. But the military operation is meant only to exterminate the terror nexus operating from the Afghan soil, and is in no way against the people or the government of Afghanistan.
The Taliban regime’s refusal to accept rationality is quite unfortunate. It was seen playing to the gallery by not only attacking forward positions across the Chaman and Torkham borders, but also appeasing the disgruntled elements. That took things to a point of no return. The need of the hour for sagacious men in Kabul is to work closely with Islamabad, and not to torpedo the decades of fraternity for the sake of unwarranted jingoism.
The silencing of guns before the festivities is an opportunity for both the countries to kickstart some astute diplomacy. A composite dialogue is the need of the hour that can be resorted to with a mindset that terror elements will not be tolerated and concerted efforts will be made to dismantle their presence on either side of the divide. It is a no secret that Afghan territories are acting as a safe haven for Al-Qaeda, ISIK and, most notably, the TTP. This fact has time and again been documented by the UN, and many of the regional states.
Turning a blind eye to ground realities is a myopic approach, and Kabul must rescind it in the interest of bilateral peace and security. The way forward is a joint counterterrorism policy, and Afghanistan must seek Pakistan’s military gear expertise in going after the terror elements. Arab and Muslim states, as well as China, must prevail over the Taliban decision-makers to step back from the brink and mend fences with Pakistan.
