Afghan War End Game

[Amal]

re: Pak US relationship - Afghan War End Game

@Ali_Syed

The only way out of this issue is that first of all the policy makers will have to abandon any dreams of strategic depth if that still exists, they should also acknowledge that any instability in Afghanistan will have negative repercussions for the country. The time has come for Pakistan to discuss its limitations with US, as well as take the nation into confidence about the important events that are shaping the neighbourhood.

While Pakistan still does not seem to be finding it easy to do away with the ‘strategic depth’ philosophy, ground realities seem to have changed inconspicuously as Pakistan has actually itself become ‘strategic depth’ for Taliban.

There are two impressions (they call them facts) that Pakistan has come to be known for: 1) Pakistan’s army is runing the Taliban and 2) Pakistan’s territory is being used for cross-border attacks. Islamabad needs to assure the world that it has lost all of its leverages over Taliban because of international policies. But if anyone is still serious about bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, then Pakistan be backed fully backed by the international community to bring an end to an ‘international misery’. Over a decade has gone into this war along with trillions of dollars and thousands of lives, yet the world remains in the middle of nowhere.

Secondly, Pakistan also needs to show to the entire world that it rules its territory effectively and the writ of the government is working on every inch of the country. Islamabad should tell the world that cross-border infiltrations take place because Afghan borders are not being properly manned by the international forces and thus Pakistan cannot be solely blamed from the open-for-all border.