Ahmad Khan: Kabul-Islamabad relations have cooled beyond imagination

According to the regional office of Tasnim News Agency, “Mansour Ahmad Khan, the former ambassador of Pakistan in Kabul, published a note in “Arab News” and wrote: It is very vital for Pakistan to have good and stable relations and adopt a good neighborhood policy with Afghanistan. Pakistan’s relations with its other three neighbors (India, China and Iran) have clear parameters. But it is Afghanistan that is still considered a determining factor for Pakistan’s foreign policy.

They are intertwined. There is a 2600 km border between the two countries where millions of people live on both sides. Facilitating management of borders for the movement of people and economic interactions has created vital conditions for peace, stability and development of the border region between the two countries. Isolation of two countries and communities on both sides is unnatural and impossible.

Ahmad Khan noted: The interventions of world powers in the last 50 years, internal peace, It has disrupted peace and stability in Afghanistan and the border region of the two countries. Over the years, while Pakistan has stood firmly by Afghanistan in testing times, it has found it difficult to face challenges at critical times. Pakistan does not have a good image among the people of Afghanistan, and this thought continues in their minds that Pakistan harms their vital interests.

This former Pakistani diplomat continued: After the withdrawal of America and NATO from Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan is caught in a situation where its relations with Afghanistan are on the edge of the abyss. It is ironic to know that Pakistan’s relations with the Taliban-controlled Afghan government have cooled beyond imagination, while countries opposed to the Taliban have gradually established relations with them over the past two decades.

The former ambassador of Pakistan also stated: What Pakistan needs is a strong domestic anti-terrorism policy along with a more pragmatic and skillful approach to meaningful engagement with Afghanistan is to deal with these actions. Failure to establish contact will intensify the challenges for Pakistan’s security and stability.

He added: Another important aspect of the evolving situation in Afghanistan is that although Afghanistan It is not fully recognized internationally, but there are signs that its leadership engagement with the world is gradually expanding. America and the West in general have continued to increase their interaction with the Taliban leadership in Doha. The United Nations has maintained liquidity in Afghanistan by injecting $40 to $50 million in humanitarian aid each week despite banking restrictions in Afghanistan.

Ahmad Referring to the expansion of relations with the Taliban, Khan said: In this situation, it is necessary for Pakistan to establish a sustainable model of interaction with the interim government of Afghanistan regarding economic actions and interactions and security-terrorist issues. The previously militarized channels should give way to interaction at the political level and government-to-government contacts, and people’s commuting should be a priority. Pakistan’s policy on the return of migrants can be implemented in a phased manner in consultation with the Afghan authorities and taking into account the socio-economic needs of the people living on both sides of the border.

Ambassador In the end, the former president of Pakistan also stated: The approach of comprehensive interaction with the interim government of Afghanistan, especially focusing on the issues related to the people, will pave the way for securing the long border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as for promoting Pakistan’s regional interaction. Relations with Afghanistan is the first step on the ladder of Pakistan’s neighborhood policy.

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