Pakistan must change
its policy on Afghanistan

Abdul Khaliq Fazal

May 12, 2011

It is a crucial time for Pakistani foreign policy makers, especially those who make long term political and economical polices on Afghanistan, to bring positive, honest, and comprehensive changes to their polices on Afghanistan.

One can say it is a long overdue. However after the killing of Bin Laden on the 2nd of May 2011  in Abbott-Abad, Pakistan, the whole world has been convinced and believes that some part of Pakistan's ISI and military have been harboring Al-Qaida and other Islamist fundamentalist groups for their benefits in Pakistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Mr. Yousaf Raza Gilani's speech to the national parliament on the 9th of May 2011 was necessary, even if it was embarrassing for him, He has to at least have some face to his nation and the international community for what they have been doing with their double face policy, in relation to the elimination of terrorism from Pakistan. Whatever he said would not make any differences in the world opinion towards Pakistan's government, and its relationship with the terrorist groups.

The president of Afghanistan, Mr. Hamid Karzai has been, for a long time telling the international community that the nest of terrorism and its leadership are in Pakistan and from there, they are sending armed groups who are making disturbances and causing insecurity in Afghanistan.

To those who makes the policies on Afghanistan, I as a neighbor, as a Muslim brother and as a friend of the people of Pakistan, would like to suggest and advice, that now is the time that you should grow up and learn from your past mistakes, and not to repeat them again, and you must come up with more mature and honest practical long-term objective policies towards Afghanistan.

Your problems with India over the Kashmir issue is up to you two countries to resolve it; it must not affect,  the good multi-lateral relationship with Afghanistan and other countries in the region.

You should now realize that as long as the current Afghan problem is not settled, then for many reasons there can be no political stability in Pakistan, on one hand and on the other hand, there can be no progress in the economic and social spheres of Pakistan and in the entire region.

Now Pakistan's economic planning with Central Asia is facing lots of problems, because of Afghanistan's insecurity. Although to solve these problems, Pakistan needs an urgent Afghan settlement for their economic prosperity, and both short and long term progressive objectives.

Thus Pakistan's policy on Afghanistan and its objectives surly needs a wise, honest and open minded restructuring. It has to get out of the cold war mind and thinking.

Pakistan has to change the kind of confrontational poster, and give priority  to a co-operative and mutually beneficial relationship. To do this, Pakistan has to abandon the so called (make water dirty and catch fish) policy, of propping up proxy regimes in Afghanistan. This kind of short term objective has not produced any fruits for them or to others.

Pakistan must know by now that these kinds of policies have failed for two reasons.

One, Afghanistan’s social and political history has proven that foreign made leaders or governments do not last long in Afghanistan. As Afghan people do not trusts their leaders once they are installed by foreign powers.

This was my recommendation to the former President of Pakistan, General Musharaff during my meeting in April 2002 in Islamabad while I was one of the ministerial delegation meeting with him in the presidential office over the Afghanistan and Pakistan transit issue. President Musharaff agreed with me on that.

Hence for a long time, Pakistan have shown an inclination towards an individualistic freedom.

Pakistan has to learn from the past history of the British and the Soviet experience, which it was not simple, nor possible to contain or suppress the Afghan streak.

Second, people have to understand that the Afghan-Soviet war during the 1980s created a different and new kind of thinking, and also awareness, within the overall Afghan society. This new awareness and readiness of the Afghan society is giving us Afghans clear signals. These signals are telling us that it would be impossible to suppress in the collective, consensus amongst the Afghan population. For the Afghans, whatever outcome may come to be,  it has to be without foreign interference.

Foreign interferences in the Afghan internal and external affairs have always being greatly resented by the majority of the Afghan people. Therefore, it is the right time that Pakistan must get out of the so called deep strategic political interests in Afghanistan, rather, they must adopt the deep strategic economic policy in Afghanistan. This policy will be beneficial to both countries in all its aspects.

Pakistan must resist the temptation of influencing Afghanistan's political, economic and social affairs for their own interests. The same advice goes to the other countries in the region.

After all Afghanistan is a sovereign and independent country. It has the right to choose with whom to have its friendly, political, economic, and social relationships - as long as it is not going to harm others.

For Pakistan and other Afghanistan neighbors in the region, the best and most beneficial political and economic approach would be to have a friendly, non-aligned, democratic government in Afghanistan, rather than a foreign made puppet regime.

It should be very clear to Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, in particular to Pakistan and Iran, that there would be no stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan and in the region, until there is a secure and a stable, Afghan government made by the Afghans themselves.

Once this goal of peace in Afghanistan is achieved, good things will, automatically come with the assistance of the international community. Economic, political, and social organizations will eventually take root.

Now it is time for Pakistan's policy makers to know that Pakistan is falling behind in economic initiative with the rest of the Central Asian countries, because of their problems in Afghanistan.

Instead other countries like Iran, Turkey and other Central Asian states have taken the benefit, while Pakistan have been, obsessed with the cold war perceptions of confrontation and strategic depth. If Pakistan wants to do trade with the Central Asian countries, and wants to improve its economy, then the only inland route is through Afghanistan.

Unless Pakistan has land-route access and proper communications systems, they would not be able to establish economic ties with North Asia. They should look in to other countries like Kazakhstan, which has already offered Iran, a sea-route through the Black Sea.

Abdul Khaliq Fazal was the former Minister of Public Works from 2001-2002, President of the Evaluation and Privatization Commission of Public Enterprises from 2002-2004, and an advisor to President Karzai in the 2004 Presidential Elections. He can be reached at a_k_fazal@yahoo.com.au

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