Nawaz Sharif visited Afghanistan with his delegation which included Mahmud Khan Achakzai, who has been criticizing Pakistani establishment on Afghan policy issues. Mr. Sharif’s visit to Afghanistan happens in the wake of General Rahil Sharif, assuming the leadership of Pakistan powerful military. General Rahil Sharif, while heading “training and evaluation” desk in the GHQ is being considered a key figure in shifting security paradigm and from eastern to western borders. On its western borders, Afghanistan, which has been viewed as a strategic depth for Pakistan’s security, has been hostile to Pakistan mainly due to “Durand Line”. Hamid Karzai in TV talk show with Salim Safi, the host of popular “Jirga” programme on Geo news, said that every time delegation from Pakistan visits him demand to recognise “Durand Line” as a permanent borders. In the interview he further reiterated the traditional stance of previous Afghan governments and said “none of the afghan government can dare to recognize Durand Line as a permanent border”. The threat perception of Pakistani establishment has increased on its western border, after the “Afghanistan- India strategic partnership” signed on 4th of October 2011 during Hamid Karzai’s visit to New Delhi. This is the first ever agreement that post Taliban Afghanistan has ever entered into to help guarantee its security after drawing down of NATO forces. Pakistan considers this an encirclement move by India. The spoke person of ISPR, Major General Retd Ather Abbas once said, “We are concerned by an Indian over- involvement in Afghanistan. We see it as an encirclement move. What happens tomorrow if the American trainers are replaced by Indian trainers? The leadership in Afghanistan is completely dominated by an India-friendly Northern Alliance. Northern Alliance’s affiliation with India makes us very uncomfortable because we see in it a two- front war scenario.”[1] Pakistan a Hard Country by Anatol Lieven. The silence of Pakistani government and military establishment on the wall being erecting on line of control by India is another important development. It seems that both Pakistani and Indian establishment is on the same page to recognize line of control as a permanent border between the two confronting states on the issue of Kashmir. It is worth remembering that Nawaz Sharif and Attal Bahari Wajpai were considering to recognize the line of control as a permanent border which according to media reports were included in “ Lahore Accord” before October 1999 Coup of General Mushraf. General Musharaf is yet to face a trial court to decide his fate on violating article 6 of the Constitution. After Rahil Sharif’s appointment as the Army Chief, Nawaz Sharif is thought to be at ease except the trouble being caused by Imran Khan’s justice party, who have been pushing the government to stop the drone strike which has been targeting Al Qaeeda and its affiliated cadres in Pakistani tribal areas. It is generally believed that Imran Khan’s Lahore protest which triggered so called tsunami in KPK and Karachi was financially sponsored by then ISI chief Genral Shuja Pasha. Hamid Mir, the well known Pakistani journalist revealed in Absar Alam’s “Bottom Line” that General Pasha while briefing some journalists said that “Bait Ullah Mehsud and Fazal Ullah is the first line of our defence” and those analyst who view the statement as an official view of Pakistani secret agency think that Nawaz Sharif is spending his honey moon period which will end soon. On the other hand others who are of the view that Pakistani military is not as strong as it was, Nawaz will be able to continue with his bourgeois national agenda.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 19:33:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015