Editorial
Pak-Afghan tension
Joint efforts needed to address the problem
Evidently it is President Karzai's frustration that has prompted him to threaten retaliatory operation across the border into Pakistan. And one cannot but sympathise with him. His government's writ runs in a very small part of Afghanistan. Efforts of International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces to rein in the insurgents are being constantly frustrated by the Taliban whose capacity to keep the US forces and its allies in Afghanistan on the defensive have not been dented the least bit.
However, the very idea of hot pursuit across international borders by government troops of one country, against non-state actors in another, on the plea of self-defense is repugnant to international law and thus an unacceptable proposition. This will not only set dangerous precedent it will also negate the norms of interstate relations.
One must at the same time acknowledge the serious security problem that Afghanistan is facing. It has to contend with the indigenous militants that are conducting a very well organised insurgency, while at the same time deal with those that slip across the border in support of the Afghan Taliban.
Afghanistan and Pakistan must realise that they are both the victims of the same malady that should be combated not by rhetoric but by coalescing their efforts and projecting a common front against the common threat. There is very little doubt about Pakistan's ability to rein in the militants on their side - and the spurt of activity that has seen a 50 percent increase in militant activity in Afghanistan over the last one year will not come down unless the cause for the same is addressed - which happens to be the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.
Both the countries must also recognize the fact that an unstable border and an abrasive relationship between them will be used as a justification for perpetuating the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan - that will in turn give the militants the excuse to continue their actions inside the country - a vicious cycle this will be, that the region cannot endure. And the spillover is inevitable.
Security of Afghanistan should be everyone's concern, most of all its immediate neighbours. That can come about through joint efforts of the Afghan and Pakistan governments. Reportedly, Pakistan's new civilian leaders acknowledge the imperative of a fresh approach to stop attacks on both sides of the border - an approach which relies on dialogue as well as force. But that should be in close approximation of Afghan security needs to lend success to the new strategy.
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