Afghanistan and Pakistan are neighboring countries with same religious beliefs yet absolutely opposite political ideologies. The countries have suffered a lot in the war waged against terrorism yet the resilience of the citizen living in both these nations can not be undermined or simply ignored.
In recent years, the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan have not been very exemplary particularly because of Afghan agencies’ inclination towards Indian policies and America’s refusal to recognize the efforts of Pakistan in the war against terrorism. The recent Afghan policy announced by Trump has also worsened the diplomatic ties between America and Pakistan because of Donald Trump’s address where he blamed Pakistan for harboring terrorists. The political and diplomatic ties saw a new turn when General Qamar Bajwa, Chief of army staff Pakistan, stated that Pakistan does not need to aid given by America but at least the due credit that the nation and its soldiers deserve. Pakistan has lost 60000 civilians in this war against terrorism and Trump’s call for “do more” was just the start of a cold war. While the statement by Trump against Pakistan met with serious resistance from Chinese diplomats and Russian eminent figures, the statement of General John Nicholson aggravated the chaotic conditions.
General John stated,
The Quetta shura, Peshawar shura — these shuras are identified by cities inside Pakistan; we know Afghan Taliban leaders are in these areas,” said Gen Nicholson in the interview. “Support for terrorists and insurgents has to be reduced — [it] has to be stopped.
Not only this statement backfired, it also impacted the credibility and professionalism of the Nicholson who is a 4-star General in USA forces.
Today, a recent development took place when on the occasion of Eid, Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, said that peace with Pakistan is Afghanistan’s agenda. The President of Afghanistan tried to subside the political turmoil by offering negotiations. Ghani said,
I am reaching out for peace to everyone, because peace is God’s commandment.
Ghani further stated called the Taliban urging them to give up their arms and become part of the peace process that would benefit everyone. He said,
It is time for the armed opposition of Afghanistan to choose whether they are fed on the milk of the mothers of this country, and are inspired by this nation, or whether they are the tools for disunity, chaos, used by outsiders
Some more days will tell where Pakistan and its proponent nations stand, either against or with America.
Leave a Reply