The assembling of Afghan opposition luminaries in Islamabad made headlines as they sought permission for furthering their political activities. The fact that an unofficial and private forum based in Pakistan was used as the medium to air grievances against Taliban regime in Kabul, and were supplemented by a couple of international opinion-making organs, has cast long shadows of suspicion.
It is a foregone conclusion that the government in Kabul is inconclusive and has not delivered on its promises to usher in a cohesive and vibrant society, and has discriminated against women. Similarly, it has failed to keep its pledge of shunting out terror outfits from its soil, especially the TTP elements who are responsible for bloodshed inside Pakistan. Yet, it will be a bad math to host the Afghan opposition by letting them open their political offices in Pakistan. This incidentally makes a quick referral to Iranian opposition elements making use of Iraqi soil under Saddam Hussain to further their objectives in the Islamic Republic, and one that led to crippling of relations between the two states and an era of warfare.
The Afghan civil society activists in the two-day closed door conference were, however, able to further their envelope, and their submission that Taliban are not the true representatives received noticeable traction. Their endeavour to bring in a change through ‘peaceful pressure tactics’ is laudable, and it would be a win-win proposition for the Afghans to evolve their society through democratic means of pluralism, and by providing due space to all sections of society.
Pakistan has always been supportive of Afghans, and literally underwent societal discord by hoisting millions of refugees. It has strived for peace in the war-torn country in every capacity. With Taliban 2.0 in power since August 2021, both the nations are in a phase of rewriting bilateralism, and all they need is coordination in counter-terrorism and furthering the bounties of geo-economics. Thus, Islamabad would be well advised to stay aloof from becoming a party to their internal political wrangling and limit its role to honest brokers.
