Consolidating Pak-Afghan relations
Shahid Saleem Afzal

Historically, Pakistan and Afghanistan have enjoyed cordial relations. There have been ups and downs, but the matter was never a source of alarm. The area on both sides of the border is inhabited by Pashtun speaking the pashto language. Such a situation is not new. Baluchis live in the Baluchistan of both Pakistan and Iran. Similarly Punjabis live on both sides of the border in Pakistan and India and so is the case with Sindhis. Boundaries have been drawn the world over between countries with population on both sides sharing common language and culture. The history of Afghanistan has been turbulent, but through history, Afghanistan has remained close to the hearts of Pakistanis.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 militarised the region. Jihad was waged against the Soviet forces. The Jihadis came from Muslim countries all over the world, actively supported by the US, Western countries, Pakistan, China and some Middle Eastern nations. After a decade of war the Soviets were defeated and withdrew from Afghanistan. Thereafter, the United States and the rest of the world abandoned Pakistan and the Mujahideen. This gave rise to civil strife in Afghanistan. In October 1996, the Taliban took over the country. With the passage of time the Taliban started behaving irrationally. Operation Enduring Freedom commenced in the fall of 2001 which was good riddance of a bigoted regime.
The inauguration of the Afghan Parliament on December 19, 2005, following the successful holding of parliamentary elections in September 2005, witnessed the final culmination of the Bonn Process. The completion of Bonn Process despite resistance from specific quarters within Afghanistan, especially the Taliban-led insurgency, testifies to the fact that Afghanistan is slowly and gradually heading towards normalcy and stability. This has resulted in the establishment of Afghan institutions, such as an Afghan Constitution (January 2004), Presidential elections (October 2004) and Parliamentary elections (September 2005). The Afghan Compact signed during the London Conference on January 31-February 1, 2006, further invested international trust in the Afghan government by encouraging donors to provide aid through the Afghan government, rather than through their own contractors.  
Tribal bonds exist between Afghans and the Pushtuns inhabiting the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. The present unrest in the tribal areas of North and South Waziristan Agencies of Pakistan are a result of the present instability in Afghanistan. These tribal people have a historical bondage with the Afghan nation, and have played a prominent role in Afghanistan’s politics since the establishment of the country. Tribal elders used to be invited to Kabul as official guests and also used to attend the proceedings of Loya Jirga of Afghanistan in the pre-Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Any development that took place in Afghanistan in the past centuries had repercussions in this Pashtun belt adjoining the present Pak-Afghan border. Even during the former Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the people from this tribal belt played a leading role in fighting the Soviet forces alongside their Afghan brethren. No other country can have more interest in peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan than Pakistan.
Pakistan has pledged to assist Afghanistan in improving her security situation and is also assiduously working to bring the tribal FATA region into the mainstream by subduing terrorists and bringing development and prosperity to the area. A stable and prosperous Afghanistan is also essential for stability and prosperity of Pakistan. A number of steps have been taken to stop the two way infiltration across Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Pakistan has deployed around 80,000 troops on the Pak-Afghan border, sacrificing more lives in this endeavor than any other country. More needs to be done in terms of helping Afghan people to have a secure and normal life. There are other problems also, for instance the problem of narcotic drugs and alienation of Pashtun. Afghan refugees need to return home. This would also remove the complaints about cross-border movement.
Pakistan has entered into an agreement with Afghanistan-based NATO troops on logistic support. Pakistan earlier provided logistic support to the ISAF in Afghanistan. There is also a possibility of joint patrols along the Pak-Afghan border. The matter was discussed during the Tripartite Commission meeting held on 23 August 2006.
The latest step towards improving relations was taken by Afghan President who telephoned President Musharraf on 2 August 2006 and invited him to an official visit to Kabul, which the President is reported to have accepted. This will be the second visit of President Musharraf to Afghanistan in a little more than four years. The last time he was in Kabul was in April 2002. However, during this period a couple of meetings between President Musharraf and President Karzai took place in and outside Pakistan. The two leaders had met each other early this year in Davos and then a meeting also took place between the two in Islamabad, when Karazi paid an official visit to Pakistan in February. Last year, President Karzai attended Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad as Chief Guest. During his stay, 5 agreements were concluded which include enhancing cooperation in culture, media and counter-terrorism.
It is important to note that during the last four years, Pak-Afghan relations, both in the commercial and security fields have continued to grow. Bilateral trade, which four years ago was only a little more than US $ 25 million now touches a level of US $ 1.5 billion. Pakistan participated in London Conference of international donors for Afghanistan held early this year and pledged US $ 50 million in addition to earlier pledges for assisting reconstruction process in Afghanistan. Jalalabad-Torkham road has been completed with Pakistan’s technical and financial help. A regular bus service between Peshawar and Jalalabad started since April this year. Recently, Pakistan handed over a number of buses to Afghanistan for the purpose of plying on this route. The two countries also plan to start a bus service between Quetta and Kandahar soon.
There is however a bone of contention between the two neighbours due to sinister Indian designs in Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities often complain that Indian Consulates on the Pak-Afghan border are involved in subversive activities in Pakistan especially in the province of Baluchistan. President Musharraf did not mince his words when he told Baluch politicians on 4 September 2006 that the possibility of a foreign hand creating law and order problems in certain parts of Baluchistan could not be ruled out. The Pakistan government has sealed six points through which arms and money were being sent into the province. The President said that sophisticated weapons were being funnelled to Bugti areas from abroad through Rahimyar Khan, Sanghar, Jacobabad, Waziristan, Zhob and Chagai and the sealing of the points had stopped arms supplies.
It is seen that law and order is gradually coming to the restive Baluchistan, the FATA region and Afghanistan. Both countries need to be patient and should continue helping each other in improving the security situation. Better security in Afghanistan would mean improved security in Pakistan and vice versa. At the same time Afghanistan should bear in mind that her relations with India should not be at the cost of Pakistan. This could be detrimental to stability and peace in the region.

Where does US policy go from here?
Eric Pfeigger

Now that Democrats have won control of the U.S. Congress for the first time since 1994, it is expected that there will be significant changes in America’s diplomatic and trade policies. Critics of President George W. Bush’s foreign policy can expect his administration to lean more heavily on diplomacy. However, proponents of free trade are likely to see a Congress that is far less open to trade partnerships and the importation of goods onto American shores.
In 2002, President Bush narrowly won approval for the right to directly negotiate trade deals with other nations. The White House has until July 2007 to negotiate such trade agreements without the interference of Congress. This places increased pressure on Bush to make progress on world trade talks that many consider already in jeopardy.
“If you’re going to ask for a renewal of trade promotion authority, you’re going to have to say what you want to renew it for,” Jeffrey Schott, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Reuters. “Obviously, the best answer is to have a comprehensive result in the Doha Round.”
Democratic lawmakers tend to vote against bilateral trade agreements because of their financial and political ties to American labor unions, which seek to protect their own financial interests through restrictive international trade policies. For their part, Democrats say their objection to such agreements is rooted in their opposition to the labor practices of other nations. Because of this opposition, proponents of free trade such as the Cato Institute say it will be difficult for Bush to negotiate new deals with nations such as Peru and Colombia. In addition, most experts say it is extremely unlikely that a Democratic-controlled Congress would vote to extend Bush’s trade agreement authority.
“The election means that the president’s trade agenda has come to a screeching halt,” Daniel Griswold, Director of Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, told Agence France-Presse. “Divided government will mean no bold trade liberalization, but no bold protectionism either. We’re looking at two years of stalemate in U.S. trade policy.”
It is widely expected that Represen-tative Charles Rangel, a Democrat from New York, will take over as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxation, tariffs and other revenue-raising measures. Rangel told reporters on November 8 that he hopes to take a “bipartisan approach” to the issue of trade and will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and other members of the House to negotiate the next congressional session’s trade agenda. However, even if Rangel and the Democrats are united in their opposition to new trade deals, Bush will have his powerful presidential veto to counter any moves to restrict trade.
“Ambassador Schwab and this administration have worked well with members [of both parties in Congress],” Sean Spicer, a spokesman for Schwab, told reporters after the November 7 election results. “For a number of years, almost every trade vote has been pretty much bipartisan.”
For his part, Rangel released a statement saying, “We’ll find ways to involve more members on issues like trade policy so we can show the American people that expanded trade doesn’t always have to mean the loss of good-paying jobs here at home.”
However, most races in the U.S. elections this year were focused on Iraq, not trade policy. While changes in America’s policy toward the Middle East are not likely to have a direct impact on its relations with China, some changes are expected.
Even before Democrats won control of Congress, the Bush administration has been sending signals that it was open to more compromise over the diplomatic stalemate with North Korea. In recent years, Democrats have advocated that the White House consent to direct negotiations with North Korea as a viable alternative to the current six-party talks structure. Nonetheless, even while he has been widely criticized for his Iraq policy, Bush has received a fair amount of praise for his approach to North Korea. Therefore, it seems unlikely that a major reversal in U.S. policy on this front will happen in the near future.
With the Democrats also appearing to control the Senate, they will have more leverage over U.S. policy with China and North Korea. A researcher with the national research institute told the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo that it would be unwise for the U.S. Congress and White House to send “different signals” concerning possible engagement with the North. “If the U.S. Congress and the government send different signals to us, it may further complicate the already very unstable bilateral dialogue channels,” he said.
Some Democrats fear that if the White House gives China too much authority in negotiations with North Korea, the United States will lose international prestige. However, U.S. leaders, including UN Ambassador John Bolton, have made it clear they believe the six-party talks are integral to maintaining and improving strong diplomatic ties with China. U.S. presidents are traditionally given wide leverage to pursue their interests in international diplomacy, even if the other party is running Congress. Experts say it is more likely that the Democrats will aggressively push for Seoul to take over all responsibilities for security along the North-South border.

(The Daily Mail-Beijing Review Articles Exchange Item)


Pak–Afghan ties essential for regional stability
Kashmala Khan

Transforming Pakistan-Afghanistan relations for the better has long been an uphill task. However, due to improvement of law and order situation in Afghanistan the bilateral trade relation between Islamabad and Kabul has increased. During his visit to Afghanistan on September 13, 2006 Prime Minster Shaukat Aziz inaugurated the 75km long dual lane Torkham – Jalalabad road reconstructed at a cost of Rs.2 billion linking Pakistan with the Central Asian Republics, through Afghanistan. Pakistan would also help Afghanistan to complete the project of extending railway line from Chaman to Spin Boldak.
The Jalalabad -Torkham road with traffic of around 14,000 vehicles a day would be linked with the existing Grand Trunk road and the Motorway through a four lane, 45km long Peshawar - Torkham expressway. The road was refurbished in 13 months, against a target of 15 months by the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and in including de-mining of round 5km section that is 12 meters wide and has been built according to international specifications.
It is expected that development of communication infrastructure would bring greater economic prosperity in both countries. Pakistan is funding various projects worth US 250 million including a kidney centre in Jalalabad, a university in Nangarhar, Jinnah hospital in Kabul and several other projects to help people of Afghanistan to live a better life. Afghan President Karzai acknowledged Pakistan’s sincere support during the last two decades and stated “Pakistan played host to large number of Afghan refugees during the long war that is never forgetting for Afghan people”. Moreover, he expressed his heartfelt gratitude for Pakistan’s help in reconstruction in Afghanistan and hoped it will help the country strengthen its economy and help it to move ahead at a rapid pace.
Governor Nangarhar Gul Agha Sherzai also appreciated Pakistan’s role in the reconstruction of the war ravaged country, saying the refurbished road will boost trade and economic ties between the two countries and help them brining further close. The inauguration of the road would emerge as a symbol of long lasting ties between the two countries and hoped their multifaceted relationship in defence, trade, history and culture will grow in the days to come. Pakistan always believed that a stronger, stable and vibrant Afghanistan would be good for peace in the world and for both neighbours.
While appreciating the ongoing reconstruction process in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Aziz said, “Your success in Afghanistan is our success, your progress is ours, we have common objectives and we should work in an atmosphere of trust and brotherhood to move forward”. Furthermore he stated “Pakistan is a growing economy and is willing to share its progress with its neighbours”. Afghan President Karzai expressed his heartfelt gratitude for Pakistan’s help in reconstruction in Afghanistan and hoped it will help the country strengthen its economy and enable it to move ahead at a rapid pace.