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Common Interests, Common Enemy
Can both Pakistan and Afghanistan step back from their positions and find a middle ground on which to get back to formal talks on issues that they both face? This proposition may seem like a distant possibility if considered in the context of the current situation; the border has been closed after a wave of attacks in Pakistan, alleged Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) safe havens in the border regions of Nangarhar province have been shelled and the two countries have sent each other lists of wanted terrorists. But the resumption of talks does not seem impossible if viewed from the lens of what the top leadership in the two countries is saying behind the scenes. Consider this: while speaking to a visiting Track 1.5 delegation, extremely highly placed political and intelligence officials said that Afghanistan had decided to exercise “strategic restraint, refrain from a blame game,” and indicated their readiness to hold “in-depth discussions” on contentious issues. If the Afghan Taliban are providing an umbrella and sanctuaries for the TTP, Jamaatul Ahrar, ETIM, IMU, Chechen terrorists and Jundullah, why not confront them jointly, asked one official. For us there is no difference between the TTP, Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA), Al-Qaeda, Daesh/IS or Jundullah or Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or East Turkestan Islamic Movement. Individually, they are a threat to the interests of Russia, Iran, Pakistan and China but for us they are all a collective threat, said an Afghan official We keep blaming each other but I think the issue is much bigger and requires detailed analysis by both countries, said a security official who is familiar with matters at the National Directorate of Security (NDS). I am ready to talk to anybody to thrash out this issue, they went on to say. It is not in the power of one country any more to deal with terrorist networks that are connected beyond national borders. For us there is no difference between the TTP, Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA),...
Despite Terrorism Incidents, Pakistan’s Economy on the Rise
Pakistan's economy is on the rise and the country presents a vital success story due to an improved security climate, relative political stability and a growing middle class, says an article in the prestigious newspaper the Washington Post published on Wednesday. The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the army have gotten a reasonable handle on the deteriorating security climate, the opinion article said written by Afshin Molvai, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. The article says several factors are fuelling Pakistan's enormous economic growth which also attracts foreign investment. Three key factors driving Pakistan's economic awakening are: an improved security climate, relative political stability and a growing middle class. "These three interlocking pieces are fuelling Pakistan's growth story – a vital story given the size and geo-political weight of the nuclear-armed South Asian nation of nearly 200 million people," it added. The Washington Post says Pakistan boasted the best stock market in Asia in 2016. The high-flying Karachi Stock Exchange Index is up more than 52 per cent over the past year – and rising. The exchange broke through the vaunted 50,000 mark last month – a first in history. "What's more, Pakistan is winning plaudits from the International Monetary Fund, and its economy is forecast fora healthy 5.2 per cent growth rate in 2017, according to the World Bank," the article adds. It says in mid-May, the world's largest research-based provider of index funds, MSCI, will officially "graduate" Pakistan from its frontier-market category to the more prestigious – and well-capitalized – “emerging market” index. It will join 23 other countries on the index that represents10 percent of world capitalisation. In 2013, when Nawaz was elected, it marked the first democratic transition of power in the country. He entered office as the great global transformation...
Army Mounts New Nationwide Offensive
Following a sharp spike in terrorist attacks, Pakistan’s military announced on Wednesday the launch of a new nationwide military offensive, codenamed Radd-ul-Fasaad (suppressing mischief), with an aim to eliminate remnants of terrorists. The decision to mount the operation was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the corps headquarters in Lahore. Attendees included the head of Punjab Rangers and officials of intelligence agencies. “The operation aims at indiscriminately eliminating residual/latent threat of terrorism, consolidating gains of operations made thus far and further ensuring security of the borders,” reads a statement issued by the military’s media wing. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy, civil armed forces and other security and law enforcement agencies would also participate and support the efforts to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country. Significantly, the focus of the countrywide offensive will be Punjab, which many observers believe has long been ignored when it comes to fighting militant groups due to political expediency and other reasons. The fact that the decision was taken during a meeting in Lahore also suggests that Punjab will be central to the Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad. The ISPR said broad spectrum security and counter terrorism operations would be conducted by the Rangers in Punjab in continuation of the ongoing operations across the country. Hours before the ISPR announcement, the federal government approved a request by the Punjab government seeking deployment of over 2,000 Rangers personnel in the province to carry out the anti-terror offensive. The paramilitary force will have the policing powers to conduct intelligence-based raids throughout the province. The initiative appears to be a part of efforts by the new army chief to show that he is determined to take the ongoing fight against terrorism to its logical end. Following the...
War of Sanctuaries
The latest spate of deadly violence and the military’s punitive strikes on terrorist camps across the Durand Line has caused tensions between Kabul and Islamabad to escalate. This time, matters have gone beyond the usual blame game that is witnessed after each terrorist strike on either side of the border. In an unprecedented move, Pakistan has closed its border with Afghanistan and has issued shoot-on-sight orders to be carried out against trespassers. What triggered this fury is the trail of the latest surge in violence leading to militant groups operating from Afghanistan. After being driven out of the tribal areas, several factions of the Pakistani Taliban have found a safe haven across the border. The latest bloodbath indicates how quickly the militants have regrouped to launch barbaric acts of terror across Pakistan. While such spectacular and synchronized terror attacks require support and facilitation of the militant networks inside the country, safe havens across the border allow greater freedom of movement for militants. The long, porous border has made it much easier for militants to escape any crackdown. The Jamaatul Ahrar, which is responsible for the recent attacks claiming over 100 innocent lives, is the largest and most lethal of Pakistani militant outfits currently operating from the Afghan border region. The network has pledged allegiance to the militant Islamic State group (IS) making the situation much more dangerous. The Pakistani military claims to have targeted some of the group’s hideouts along the border and killed some of its senior commanders. But one is not sure if such retaliatory actions could have destroyed the cross-border terror infrastructure that is believed to have the support of elements within the Afghan intelligence agencies. There is also some evidence of the group having links with factions of the Afghan Taliban. There is always a danger of escalation in such cases of cross-border actions. One cannot agree more with the...
Changing the Militant Landscape in Pakistan
Since its establishment in 2014, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has proved to be a lethal terrorist group, by perpetrating some of the most brutal attacks in Pakistan. While the leadership is currently based out of Afghanistan, Ahrar has networks in Bajaur and Mohmand agencies of the Federally Administrative Tribal Areas, as well as support structures in others parts of the country. The militant outfit is the brainchild of Omar Khalid Khorasani — an ambitious Taliban commander and a former member of the Pakistani Taliban’s Shura - who parted ways with the Taliban after they pursued peace talks with the government. From August 2014 to date, the group has been found involved in 116 terrorist attacks in Pakistan, against diverse targets ranging from security forces, tribal elders, and minorities to sectarian communities. Last year, Ahrar launched an operation titled “al-Raad” (Thunder). Shortly after, it orchestrated attacks on the Charsadda University, the Christian community on Easter Day in Lahore, Quetta’s Civil Hospital, Session Courts in Mardan and on an FC camp in Mohmand Agency. Earlier this month, it launched “Operation Ghazi”, and has since planned and executed eight gun and bomb attacks. The group’s strategy, it seems, is to employ back-to-back attacks, to create more impact and panic, rather than long intervolved attacks. In the last few years, the Pakistani Taliban’s seemingly weakening capabilities has strengthened Ahrar, although the group has a tendency to accommodate new ideological, political, and operational trends. Khorasani is among the ideologues of the tribal Taliban movement; he also worked as an editor of the Taliban’s quarterly magazine Ihya-e-Khilafat. Previously, he was associated with several Pakistan-based militant organisations, including the banned Harkatul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammad. For the young leader, the siege of the Red Mosque was a turning point. (He even renamed a mosque in his native village Ghaziabad in Mohmand Agency after it...
Pakistan aware of designs behind ceasefire violations: COAS
In yet another loud and clear message to India, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday said that Pakistan was fully aware of Indian designs behind unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) as well as New Delhi’s support for terrorist elements in Pakistan and the region. Targeting of civilians along the LoC is deliberate, under a design and highly reprehensible,” said the army chief during his visit to the restive dividing line in Mattewala and Munaawar sectors, located in Barnala tehsil of Bhimber district in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). It was Gen Bajwa’s second visit to the LoC in Bhimber district, where three army soldiers were killed on Feb 13 and seven on Nov 13 last year in Indian shelling. Earlier, he had visited the area on Dec 2. “On one side it is an effort to divert world’s attention from her [Indian] atrocities against the innocent Kashmiris, and on the other, it is an attempt to dilute our response against terrorism and militancy,” Gen Bajwa said, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations. He said Pakistan was fully aware of Indian designs and its support for terrorism in Pakistan and the region. The case of Kulbhushan Jadhav was evidence of these Indian efforts and his case would be taken to its logical conclusion, Gen Bajwa said of the Indian secret agent who was arrested in March last year. The COAS, who was received on the LoC by Rawalpindi Corps Commander Lt Gen Nadeem Raza, also attended a briefing by the General Officer Commanding on the operational situation. Praising the operational readiness of the troops, he said: “Pakistan army soldiers are known for their professional competence, motivation and selfless devotion for defence of their motherland and are the backbone of the armed forces.” He ordered that unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian troops be responded to effectively. The COAS made it clear that the army would do its duty to protect the people of Pakistan and...
With Afghan Cooperation
As the state struggles to contain and put an end to a continuing spell of violence, the military leadership has emphasised that Pakistan and Afghanistan must “fight [a] common enemy, i.e terrorists of all hue and colour”. In comments attributed to Gen Qamar Bajwa by the ISPR, the army chief asserted in a security meeting that border cooperation and coordination between Afghanistan and Pakistan is essential. Gen Bajwa is also reported to have reiterated that “Pakistan and Afghanistan have fought against terrorism and shall continue this effort together”. The evident shift in tone of the military leadership from anger and the threat of unilateral action across the Pak-Afghan border to coordinated action against the mutual threat of terrorism is precisely the bedrock on which long-term policy needs to be built. The past is a clear indicator of the futility of unilateralism or the pursuit of policies by either country that the other does not support. Clearly, a bilateral framework of cooperation must accommodate exigencies and there is an urgent need to address the current spate of violence inside Pakistan. As the Charsadda attack yesterday indicates, Pakistan is facing a wave of terror attacks that is reminiscent of the very darkest days in the long fight against militancy. The ebb and flow of militancy in the two countries requires flexible priorities and Pakistan is right in insisting that the anti-Pakistan militants who have found sanctuary in Afghanistan be targeted urgently. If Afghan security forces or the US-led foreign military contingents are unable to act decisively against them, then Kabul should consider allowing Pakistani forces to operate in the border regions where those militants are believed to have found sanctuary. What Pakistan should be mindful of is to not conduct operations, especially putting boots on the ground, in Afghan territory without Kabul’s consent. Difficult as the border region is, mutual respect for territorial integrity and...
Kabul Ready to Talk Intelligence Cooperation With Pakistan ‘At Any Level’: Afghan Official
Afghanistan is ready to hold dialogue with Pakistan for intelligence cooperation at ‘any level’, an Afghan security official has told members of the Pak-Afghan track-II dialogue in Kabul. The Afghan official, speaking informally and off – the-record, said senior security officials of the two countries had planned an ‘interaction’ but three major attacks in Kabul, Kandahar and Helmand on January 10, delayed the process. Nearly 60 people, including five UAE diplomats were killed in the attacks. The UAE ambassador, who was injured in the blast, died of wounds last week. The remarks by the Afghan security official came amid growing tensions over the recent wave of terrorist attacks in Pakistan last week, which claimed the lives of about 100 people and injured over 300 more. “We are ready for deep discussions on intelligence cooperation. We need a better environment. We need engagement. But only meetings and shaking hands will not give results. Sincere and effective engagement is a must to remove the mistrust,” the Afghan official told members of the dialogue titled ‘Beyond Boundaries’ which concluded on Monday. President Ashraf Ghani had put a pause on a memorandum of understanding between the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in 2015. As the two sides struck the ground-breaking agreement to share intelligence and resources to combat terrorism, it was opposed in Afghanistan and some leaders, including Hamid Karzai, publicly opposed the deal as against the ‘national interests’. Afghan media had also reported then NDS Chief Rahmatullah Nabil had refused to sign the accord. The Afghan official said that Kabul is open for talks on intelligence cooperation at any level to explore options how to deal with the security challenges. “We also want Pakistan to extend its counter terrorism strategy to the region,” he said. “Pakistan may be concerned only about TTP, China has apprehensions about ETIM, Arab states will be worried...
Pak-Afghan stand-off: the way forward
The unilateral border closure by Pakistan on February 15 once again exposed the current extremely brittle and acrimonious nature of its current relations with Afghanistan. Slogans such as “Death to Pakistan, Down with Pakistan,” not only resonated at rallies in Kabul and Jalalabad but also made super-leads of the newspapers and electronic media in Afghanistan.Similar sentiments ran high also during a meeting between a Pakistani civil society delegation and the top hierarchy of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) on February 19 at Kabul, a day after Pakistan had handed Afghan officials a list of 76 wanted terrorists nestled in their country. Expectedly, Kabul responded with its list of 85 Taliban and Haqqani Network leaders on the Pakistani soil, which it claimed were involved in “crimes against people of Afghanistan.” Meanwhile, thousands of cargo trucks, passenger vehicles and tens of thousands of people are stranded on both sides of the border. A humanitarian and business crisis indeed, with scores of families separated, and perishable cargo rotting on board trucks. Leading businessmen were all outrage, complaining of massive losses they have suffered in the last five or so years due to intermittent closure of border. It has also resulted in a drastic reduction of Afghanistan’s transit trade through Pakistan. They pointed out that Iran’s Bandar Abbas is more expensive but that is a much more certain and secure rate. Trust on Karachi is minimal due to corruption from the clearing processes in Karachi to the transition through the border at Chaman and Torkham. In many cases massive demurrage charges accruing from delays forced the importers to abandon their cargo. Afghan traders also complained of unusually high taxes on seasonal fruits. We asked them whether one could delink business from politics and whether business could function normally in abnormal political conditions such as the current ones, they offered little response. The halt in...
Army Wants Joint Anti-Terror Fight With Afghanistan
After days of talking tough on Afghanistan in the aftermath of recent militant attacks, the Pakistan Army on Monday spoke about fighting terrorism jointly with Afghanistan. The change in mood at the military headquarters coincided with the receipt of a demarche from the Afghan foreign ministry demanding arrest and handover of 85 leaders of Taliban, Haqqani Network and other terrorist groups and action against 32 alleged terrorist training centres, besides a warning that continued violence would push Kabul to seek international sanctions against “terrorist groups and their supporters”. The Afghan demands came after Pakistan handed over a similar list of 76 Pakistani terrorists based in Afghanistan. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement issued after what was described as a ‘high-level security meeting at GHQ’ chaired by Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, said: “Pakistan and Afghanistan have fought against terrorism and shall continue this effort together”. Kabul says it has delivered a list of 32 terror camps on Pakistani soil The comments clearly contrasted with the earlier tone which bordered on unilateralism. The military had soon after the suicide attack at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan closed down border crossings with Afghanistan and the troops pounded ‘terrorist targets’ along the border. Gen Bajwa had himself told US commander in Afghanistan Gen Nicholson that the Afghan government’s inaction against terrorists was testing Pakistan’s policy of cross-border restraint. Media reports also said that Pakistan had sent reinforcements to the border and deployed heavy armaments. ISPR quoted Gen Bajwa as explaining at the meeting that “enhanced security arrangements along Pak-Afghan border were for fighting common enemy”. He also repeated the oft-mentioned refrain of targeting “terrorists of all hue and colour”. Gen Bajwa issued directives for cooperation with Afghan forces in checking “illegal movements” and...
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I am also a member of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting. Recently, we held a meeting with the Director General of Radio Pakistan and we told them to initiate such local programs (like Constituency Hour) in regional languages to educate and inform people. Even Indian Radio can be heard in FATA which is being used for propaganda purposes and must be closed. Therefore, we should launch some standard and quality programs like CRSS that will change the taste of the listeners.