Pakistan has stepped up efforts to repair its ties with Afghanistan after months of simmering tensions between the two nations. As part of the renewed push, the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) meetings resumed this month. Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Moheb visited Islamabad, and President Ghani is due to pay a visit to Pakistan on official invitation from Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the near future.
In addition to mending fences with Afghan government, Islamabad is also seeking to build relations with opposition political leaders. Invited by the Pakistani government, some politicians visited Islamabad and attended a summit on Afghan peace in Lahore. Although invited to the Afghan Peace Conference titled “Lahore Process”, ex-President Hamid Karzai in a statement said he could not attend the meeting in Pakistan due to limited time for preparations. Welcoming Islamabad’s efforts for peace in Afghanistan, President Karzai has hoped the Pakistani side will continue the efforts.
For peace to come to Afghanistan, Pakistan has to play a constructive role in the process as it is supporting the Taliban at the state level, with an overwhelming majority of the militant leaders freely living in various Pakistani cities. It is right that the Taliban have established ties with other countries besides Pakistan over the recent years, and even there are reports of some of the countries providing support to the Taliban, but no country enjoys as much leverage over them as Pakistan does. Thus, Pakistan’s cooperation in Afghan peace is a necessity.
If Pakistan relinquishes its “strategic depth” policy in Afghanistan and truly supports ongoing efforts aimed at bringing a negotiated end to the Afghan conflict, Afghanistan can achieve peace and stability. Now that there is a regional consensus on Afghan peace, and that the United States has admitted the reality that a military victory is impossible, the inclusion of Islamabad in the regional consensus, if its efforts are genuine and meaningful, will certainly add momentum to the ongoing peace efforts.
