Pakistan and Afghanistan are the two neighbors which directly bring effects and implications on each other. The intertwined militancy in the two countries and the impact of India, the United States, China, and other regional powers remained the influencing factors for the two countries.
It is the reality that Afghanistan’s peaceful future depends to a great extent on an auspicious regional environment, with Pakistan at its core. Conversely, an unstable Afghanistan threatens Pakistan, complicating the latter’s ability to refurbish its weak state and economy and suppress dangerous internal militancy. Pakistan has been an advocate of a peaceful Afghanistan which would be equally beneficial for the region.
Read more: Pakistan calls for relaxing sanctions on Afghanistan
Pakistan’s stance
Pakistan has been demanding action against non-state actors that are targeting Pakistan by using Afghan soil. Taliban have assured Pakistan and the rest of the world community that they will not let any non-state actors use their soil. Vice versa, an unstable Afghanistan will complicate Pakistan’s ability to refurbish its weak state and economy and suppress dangerous internal militancy. A violently contested, unsettled Afghanistan will only further augment and complicate Pakistan’s own deep-seated and growing security and governance problems.
The geographical location of any country is both in favour and sometimes becomes a liability. Yet Afghanistan’s location at the crossroads of the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia has for centuries made a friendly neighborhood elusive. Although religious, ethnic, economic, and cultural ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan run deep and wide, the two countries have frequently been at odds with one another.
During the Cold War, Afghanistan became a battleground in the global conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States, with Pakistan as a key U.S. ally supporting the anti-Soviet mujahedeen. Pakistan has long been facing instability carried out by Indians while using Afghan soil. India has been supporting nonstate actors in Afghanistan with having its huge diplomatic presence in Kabul, Ashraf Ghani’s government remained always negative towards Pakistan. Pakistan has been facing the impact of a previous Afghan government closely aligned with India.
Read more: Pakistan’s endeavors to avert humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
The way forward
There is a need time that the world community supports the incumbent Afghan government in dealing with the prevailing challenges. Governance crisis and hunger crisis is already a major concern, and without attention, they could increase further. At the same time, the Taliban have to ensure the eradication of any non-state actors, if Afghanistan is unstable and harbors Salafi groups that infiltrate Pakistan, then Pakistan itself will become further destabilized and—crucially—distracted from tackling its other crises. These include intense political instability, economic atrophy, widespread poverty, and a severe energy crisis.
The Pakistani state is already hollowed out, with major macroeconomic deficiencies that have increased, and deep poverty and marginalization persist amid a semi-feudal distribution of power, often ineffective and corrupt political leadership, internal social and ethnic fragmentation, and compromised security forces.
Peace in Pakistan is possible through peace in Afghanistan and each country should understand the importance of this statement because Pakistan is an important country in the region and if any instability comes in Pakistan, then it will impact other countries as well and eventually will create instability in the region. Therefore, each mainstream and influential country should perform an active role to bring peace to Afghanistan for a better future.
Read more: Is Russia recognizing Taliban setup in Afghanistan?
This is the time the world community has to engage with the Taliban government to address both governance and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been going an extra yard in supporting and trying to mitigate the crisis in Afghanistan but without international support, it would be difficult in dealing with the prevailing challenges. At the same time, the Taliban should address the concerns of the western countries about human rights and girls’ education in Afghanistan.
The writer has done a masters in IR. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.