Pakistan trying to hide 'strategic depth' policy failure in Afghanistan: Report

Islamabad, Nov 5 (IANS) Pakistan has been making desperate efforts to shift the global narrative in its favour amid tensions with Afghanistan and uncertainty about peace talks with Taliban. In order to achieve this, Pakistan is trying to showcase itself as a victim of cross-border terrorism, calling Taliban uncooperative, seeking support from Western and friendly Islamic nations on the matter, justifying military actions in Afghanistan and accusing India for its tensions with Taliban, a report has stated.

"All these factors also contribute to Pakistan's attempts to hide its strategic depth policy failure in Afghanistan and coerce the Taliban leadership to fall in line or face consequences. Riding high on renewed ties with the United States and a growing diplomatic role in the Middle East, Pakistan believes it can reshape the perception about Afghanistan. While this tactic may work in the short term, Islamabad risks alienating the Taliban in the long run," Sarral Sharma, a Doctoral Candidate at JNU and a former Consultant at the National Security Council Secretariat, wrote in an opinion piece for NDTV.

Pakistan has been portraying itself as the victim of cross-border terrorism and consistently accused Taliban of harbouring Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that target Pakistani armed forces. During the recent round of talks in Turkey, Pakistan initially said, "The dialogue...ended without any workable solution" and accused Taliban of being "indifferent to Pakistan's losses".

Pakistan, by showcasing its own sufferings and sacrifices, is presenting itself as a responsible, peace-seeking neighbour whose diplomatic efforts have been rejected due to the Taliban's views. The recent talks concluded after third-party mediation efforts on October 30, with plans to hold the next round of negotiations in Istanbul, starting Thursday.

The writer mentioned that, by criticising Taliban and showcasing its own peaceful efforts, Pakistan is trying to claim the role of the peace warrior. Pakistan has claimed that they had "always desired, advocated and immensely sacrificed for peace and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan" and warned that "Pakistan's patience has run its course". Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir said, "when it comes to the safety and security of every single Pakistani, the whole of Afghanistan can be damned". By making such statements, Pakistan portrays itself both as a willing negotiator and a powerful military force that has the right to act.

The failure of peace talks also helps Pakistan to gain external support from the Western and Islamic nations to pressurise Taliban. Pakistan has contended that Afghanistan cannot be stable until Pakistan's security concerns, particularly about TTP, are addressed. The NDTV report mentions that as Taliban has limited role in controlling militancy in Pakistan, since the former regards it as the "internal problem" of the latter, Islamabad may use the uncertainty around peace negotiations as an example of Taliban's unreliability and try to get diplomatic and financial support, intelligence, military cooperation from Western nations on the issue.

The diplomatic impasse, wrote Sharma, helps Pakistan to justify its military strategy against Afghanistan under the pretext of counter-terrorism operations against TTP and its affiliates. The temporary breakdown of diplomacy between two nations can result in Pakistan using force to conduct strikes inside Afghanistan, such as Kabul or in Kandahar.

Pakistan, it seems, is also quite unsettled following the recent visit of Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi to India in October. However, by relying heavily on military actions and coercive diplomacy, Pakistan may further alienate Taliban, reduce its influence and increase the possibility of confrontation.

The Taliban may also change its policy and form new partnerships within the region and outside. Taliban 2.0 is not willing to accept directives issued by Pakistan and seeks respectful treatment from its neighbour. Furthermore, Pakistan is unwilling to accept independent policies of Taliban, especially Afghanistan's strengthening ties with India. Even after four years of seizing power, Taliban has not been recognised by Pakistan as Afghanistan's legitimate government, causing serious mistrust in Kabul about Islamabad's intentions.

--IANS

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