Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha are just little over two months apart, but it seems like ages in annals of tumultuous Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
Eidul Fitr had taken place amidst a sense of renewal because Pakistan and Afghanistan had forged a new mechanism governing their relationship called Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) and Taliban had then agreed to an unprecedented ceasefire. Two months later, the festival of Eidul Azha took place under returning clouds of bilateral distrust and violence in Afghanistan once again on a rise.
The Taliban attack on the strategically-located city of Ghazni was important from various aspects. Tragically, the attack that started on August 10 left around 100 Afghan citizens and troops dead and it exposed the weakness of the government, the preparedness of troops, narrative of the progress in war and the ineffectiveness of the US strategy adopted by Trump’s administration after last year’s review. But, the two casualties that few are talking about are the efforts for normalisation of Pak-Afghan relations and the setback suffered by the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
It would have been too optimistic for one to assume that the APAPPS would have overnight brushed away decades of mutual mistrust, but no one was expecting the bonhomie surrounding the creation of the new ties to fade so quickly.
Therefore, in the aftermath of Ghazni attack, we had a sense of déjà vu in what we heard from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, his Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami, Chief of General Staff Mohammad Sharif Yaftali and other officials; and from the Pakistani side from Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa and Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal.
The allegation against Pakistan was that Ghazni attack had marks of Pakistani support. It is said that bodies of at least 70 Pakistani killed during Ghazni fighting were with Afghan authorities and dozens of others had been captured. Video statements of some of the arrested men have been shown by Afghan media. Similarly there are been pictures of injured fighters and dead bodies being transported back to Pakistan.
President Ghani, while visiting Ghazni three days after the Taliban retreat from the city, was bitter about commitments extended by General Bajwa. According to a Voice of America Report, Ghani said, “General Bajwa, you signed a document with us and told me repeatedly in our conversations over the phone that when the elections (in Pakistan) are over you will pay attention to it. I need answers now….From where they came and why are they receiving treatment in your hospitals?”
It was more or less the same message that was conveyed by Kabul through its ambassador Dr Omar Zakhilwal to Gen Bajwa at the start of Ghazni attack. Dr Zakhilwal had then tweeted that in his meeting with top Pakistani commander told him that “full cooperation as per the APAPPS and other bilateral commitments which in turn help with our peace efforts and reduction of violence” was required.
Now look what Pakistani side is saying. General Bajwa out rightly dismissed the Afghan allegations, saying there was no support to any terrorist activity inside Afghanistan from Pakistan side.
He was, however, compelled to offer an explanation over dead bodies and injured flowing into Pakistan from Afghanistan. It happened so because some of nationalist Pashtun leaders had joined the Afghan chorus in asking questions about them.
General Bajwa’s explanation was, “There are scores of Pakistanis working in Afghanistan in connection with various businesses and labour who periodically fall victim to terrorism acts alongside their Afghan brothers inside Afghanistan. Terming such victims as terrorists is unfortunate. Moreover, different factions of the TTP, hiding in many sanctuaries inside Afghanistan under Afghan identities on becoming injured and dead are transported into Pakistan for medical help. Additionally, Afghan refugees and their relatives also resort to similar practices.”
General Bajwa’s statement was seen as an implied acceptance that some Pakistanis had been killed in the fight for Ghazni. He, however, challenged the Afghan account that they were terrorists fighting alongside Taliban.
Whether one agrees with the explanation or not is a separate thing, but there can be no difference of opinion over the prescription offered by General Bajwa. He proposed two things – firstly speedy implementation of APAPPS and substantive progress on Afghan reconciliation efforts.
Recap what Afghan envoy had said: “full cooperation as per the APAPPS.” Therefore, it is an easy conclusion to draw that both Kabul and Islamabad have a consensus that APAPPS is the way forward, but they have been struggling to make it functional even though in their enthusiasm for the new mechanism they made the people feel long time back that it was working.
FO Spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal had at the last press briefing said: “The two countries under the auspices of APAPPS are engaged in developing a time bound repatriation plan for early and complete repatriation of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan. In this regard, an Afghan delegation from Afghan Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation will visit Islamabad shortly to have consultations”. Although it was said in the context of refugees, but still it meant to say the APAPPS was working.
But, two days later, through a separate statement Dr Faisal regretted that the reports about Pakistani involvement in Ghazni were “malicious propaganda” aimed at “vitiating the existing cooperation between the two countries” and could not be given credence. That’s right. It is very much plausible. But look the reason given by him – “the absence of official communications through regular channels.” The question, therefore, remains then what the APAPPS is worth even if it cannot perform the basic function of exchange of information and intelligence? Either accept that the APAPPS has collapsed or explain why the two countries are failing to operationalize it – a fact that has been admitted by everyone including President Ghani and Gen Bajwa.
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad
Email: mamoonarubab@gmail.com
Twitter: @bokhari_mr
Eidul Fitr had taken place amidst a sense of renewal because Pakistan and Afghanistan had forged a new mechanism governing their relationship called Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) and Taliban had then agreed to an unprecedented ceasefire. Two months later, the festival of Eidul Azha took place under returning clouds of bilateral distrust and violence in Afghanistan once again on a rise.
The Taliban attack on the strategically-located city of Ghazni was important from various aspects. Tragically, the attack that started on August 10 left around 100 Afghan citizens and troops dead and it exposed the weakness of the government, the preparedness of troops, narrative of the progress in war and the ineffectiveness of the US strategy adopted by Trump’s administration after last year’s review. But, the two casualties that few are talking about are the efforts for normalisation of Pak-Afghan relations and the setback suffered by the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
It would have been too optimistic for one to assume that the APAPPS would have overnight brushed away decades of mutual mistrust, but no one was expecting the bonhomie surrounding the creation of the new ties to fade so quickly.
Therefore, in the aftermath of Ghazni attack, we had a sense of déjà vu in what we heard from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, his Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami, Chief of General Staff Mohammad Sharif Yaftali and other officials; and from the Pakistani side from Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa and Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal.
The allegation against Pakistan was that Ghazni attack had marks of Pakistani support. It is said that bodies of at least 70 Pakistani killed during Ghazni fighting were with Afghan authorities and dozens of others had been captured. Video statements of some of the arrested men have been shown by Afghan media. Similarly there are been pictures of injured fighters and dead bodies being transported back to Pakistan.
President Ghani, while visiting Ghazni three days after the Taliban retreat from the city, was bitter about commitments extended by General Bajwa. According to a Voice of America Report, Ghani said, “General Bajwa, you signed a document with us and told me repeatedly in our conversations over the phone that when the elections (in Pakistan) are over you will pay attention to it. I need answers now….From where they came and why are they receiving treatment in your hospitals?”
It was more or less the same message that was conveyed by Kabul through its ambassador Dr Omar Zakhilwal to Gen Bajwa at the start of Ghazni attack. Dr Zakhilwal had then tweeted that in his meeting with top Pakistani commander told him that “full cooperation as per the APAPPS and other bilateral commitments which in turn help with our peace efforts and reduction of violence” was required.
Now look what Pakistani side is saying. General Bajwa out rightly dismissed the Afghan allegations, saying there was no support to any terrorist activity inside Afghanistan from Pakistan side.
He was, however, compelled to offer an explanation over dead bodies and injured flowing into Pakistan from Afghanistan. It happened so because some of nationalist Pashtun leaders had joined the Afghan chorus in asking questions about them.
General Bajwa’s explanation was, “There are scores of Pakistanis working in Afghanistan in connection with various businesses and labour who periodically fall victim to terrorism acts alongside their Afghan brothers inside Afghanistan. Terming such victims as terrorists is unfortunate. Moreover, different factions of the TTP, hiding in many sanctuaries inside Afghanistan under Afghan identities on becoming injured and dead are transported into Pakistan for medical help. Additionally, Afghan refugees and their relatives also resort to similar practices.”
General Bajwa’s statement was seen as an implied acceptance that some Pakistanis had been killed in the fight for Ghazni. He, however, challenged the Afghan account that they were terrorists fighting alongside Taliban.
Whether one agrees with the explanation or not is a separate thing, but there can be no difference of opinion over the prescription offered by General Bajwa. He proposed two things – firstly speedy implementation of APAPPS and substantive progress on Afghan reconciliation efforts.
Recap what Afghan envoy had said: “full cooperation as per the APAPPS.” Therefore, it is an easy conclusion to draw that both Kabul and Islamabad have a consensus that APAPPS is the way forward, but they have been struggling to make it functional even though in their enthusiasm for the new mechanism they made the people feel long time back that it was working.
FO Spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal had at the last press briefing said: “The two countries under the auspices of APAPPS are engaged in developing a time bound repatriation plan for early and complete repatriation of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan. In this regard, an Afghan delegation from Afghan Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation will visit Islamabad shortly to have consultations”. Although it was said in the context of refugees, but still it meant to say the APAPPS was working.
But, two days later, through a separate statement Dr Faisal regretted that the reports about Pakistani involvement in Ghazni were “malicious propaganda” aimed at “vitiating the existing cooperation between the two countries” and could not be given credence. That’s right. It is very much plausible. But look the reason given by him – “the absence of official communications through regular channels.” The question, therefore, remains then what the APAPPS is worth even if it cannot perform the basic function of exchange of information and intelligence? Either accept that the APAPPS has collapsed or explain why the two countries are failing to operationalize it – a fact that has been admitted by everyone including President Ghani and Gen Bajwa.
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad
Email: mamoonarubab@gmail.com
Twitter: @bokhari_mr