ISLAMABAD: Pakistan needs to reorient its relations with Afghanistan beyond security perspective to bridge the widening mistrust between the two countries both at the state and people-to-people levels. Pakistan needs to abandon its approach of conditioning the promotion of trade activities between the two neighbours with the resolution of security issues because this scheme would prove counterproductive.

These views were expressed by experts at a consultation on ‘Afghan peace and reconciliation; Pakistan’s interests and policy options’ organised by Islamabad-based think tank, Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).

The representatives of political parties, former diplomats, academics, retired military officials and journalists participated in the discussion.

The main themes of the consultation, which was the seventh in a series of discussions organised by PIPS on the Afghan peace process, include ‘Emerging Pak-Afghan relations; challenges and way forward’ and ‘Emerging Afghan situation and its interface with the countries near and beyond’.

The discussants were of the view that Pakistan’s parliament should take a lead in devising a policy for Afghanistan.

They said Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan was larger than counter-terrorism and security and it should see it in a bigger picture.

They also urged the need for a soft management of Pakistan-Afghanistan border to remove hurdles in trade activities and movement of people between both countries.

Former Afghan Ambassador Dr Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal said Pakistan unfortunately saw Afghanistan as a potential threat to it.

The notion was not based on facts, he said, adding that Pakistan should not make conditional promotion of trade with Afghanistan with the resolution of security and border issues and think beyond it.

“Let us focus on trade, economy, enhancing infrastructure and people to people contacts,” said Dr Zakhilwal, who also served as finance minister of Afghanistan.

He said the issue of the presence of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan could be dealt with in a broader national discussion. He also said fencing the border with Afghanistan was not a solution to the problem.

Former ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan said mistrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan had widened with the passage of time.

“Pakistan’s image has continuously gone down in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that Afghans were clear in their minds that there should be state-to-state civilian and civilised relations between the two countries.

“To give a civilian face to this relationship is very important,” he said, adding that Afghans were categorical in their demand about movement of people and facilitation in trade and soft management of Pak-Afghan border was crucial in this regard.

Former National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua said Pakistan perhaps did not understand the problems of Taliban.

“We are seeing our relations with the Taliban and Afghanistan from the lens of the TTP,” he said, adding that both countries shared a common future and this should not be made a hostage of one militant group, which is the TTP.

He suggested that Pakistan needed to re-orientate its thinking towards the neighbouring country.

Former foreign secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan emphasised that Pakistan needed clarity on its Afghan policy.

He said the overarching policy should be to have state-to-state relations between the two countries.

“Let us understand each other’s interests,” he said, adding that Pakistan should even go beyond trade with its neighbour.

Former chief of general staff retired Lt Gen Waheed Arshad said both countries should see each other as sovereign states, adding that, “every state has its own strategic interests”.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2023