Neighbourhood watch: Afghans reiterate past grievances with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: After months of silence in anti-Pakistan rhetoric, Afghanistan has again turned its guns towards Islamabad, blaming it for delaying the troubled peace process with the Taliban, who are unwilling to opt for intra-Afghan dialogue. The development follows Karzai’s frustration with Washington over the signing of a controversial security pact that seeks extension of the American military mission in Afghanistan beyond this year. Karzai’s National Security Adviser, Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta in a harshly-worded statement, claimed on Thursday in Kabul that Pakistan is the main ‘obstacle’ in the Afghan peace process. Spanta claimed Washington is aware of this, but refuses to acknowledge it. He also advised the US to choose between having Afghanistan or Pakistan as a strategic partner, before Kabul signs the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA). photo Afghanleaders_zps686c6575.jpg Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had seemingly been moving in the right direction since Nawaz Sharif took over as Prime Minister (PM) in June, but now the top Afghan security official has reiterated allegations from the past. Spanta’s remarks indicate that all is not well between the two neighbours at a time when they need to increase cooperation for reconciliation with the Taliban. This blame-game has badly affected bilateral cooperation for years and neither side can afford acrimony any longer. Afghan leaders are frustrated at Pakistan’s lack of cooperation to encourage the Taliban’s talks with the Karzai-backed High Peace Council. An Afghan official recently remarked to The Express Tribune, “If Pakistan can facilitate the Taliban office in Qatar, then why can it not encourage them to talk to our peace council?” Pakistani officials have, on a number of occasions, publicly admitted to their role in the Qatar office, however, Pakistan insists it has no control over the Taliban. National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz said last month that the Afghan Taliban are presently unwilling to talk to the peace council. On the other hand, the council disagrees with Aziz and insists Pakistan has a key role to play in the process. “Most top Taliban leaders, according to our information, are in Pakistan,” said spokesperson for Afghan High Peace Council, Maulvi Shehzada Shahid while speaking to The Express Tribune in Islamabad this week. “The government can pressurise them to come to the negotiating table if they so wish.” photo AhmadShahAhmadzai_zpsa7c570a8.jpg Shahid was in Islamabad to represent his council at an international conference on ‘Peace and Reconciliation in Afghanistan’. Referring to PM Nawaz Sharif’s commitments to his own people, Shahid commented, “He can only achieve these objectives when there is peace in Afghanistan.” Speaking at the occasion, Afghan ex-PM Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai said a complete withdrawal of foreign troops will encourage Afghans to find solutions to their own problems. He welcomed President Obama’s remarks at his State of the Union Address that war in Afghanistan will end this year. “There will be no peace if the US wants to keep troops for a longer time. If the Americans want peace, they must all leave,” said Ahmadzai, who now leads an anti-US front in Afghanistan. Head of the political commission of Hizb-e-Islami, the second most powerful faction after the Taliban, Dr Ghairat Baheer also argued that Afghanistan would see further instability unless foreign troops leave. “They have not come to Afghanistan for crushing the Taliban and al Qaeda. They have their own political, economic and strategic vested interests, this is why they are now insisting to stay for longer. They want to change the shape of their presence in Afghanistan by asking for more military bases and signing the BSA with the Afghan government,” he told The Express Tribune after speaking at the conference. Published in The Express Tribune, February 1st, 2014.