Pak-Afghan accord

The convergence of different ideas, groups, or societies is the process by which they stop being different and become more similar. The convergence of opinion that terrorism is a common threat to both Afghanistan and Pakistan expressed through a joint statement following Dr Spanta's meetings with Pakistani officials is not entirely a new development except for its arguably profound timeliness. The two sides seemed to have realised that those who were their proxies yesterday are their rivals today and insist on reversing the role both for governance in Kabul and Islamabad. Early this week, the Afghan government found it hard to fight back a massive attack by Taliban in Helmand, bringing home the reality that a war the US-led coalition claimed is over has only begun. For Pakistan, success in war over Taliban did come but only in miserly measures. Not that our forces couldn't defeat terrorists, they could always but other 'considerations' came in the way and never before was a comprehensive military operation allowed by the governments of the day. In North Waziristan Agency, there were the 'good' Taliban, the Haqqani Network and others like Mulla Gul Bahadar, who on the one hand signed peace agreements with the government, and on the other played generous host and provided protection to al Qaeda fighters. It took time, and quite a few precious lives, for the government to realise that a lack of action against them meant giving milk to snake. Then there were these peace-preachers who worked hard, and initially succeed in keeping the terrorist sanctuaries safe from any retaliatory action. But that was not to be, a time came when the government was left with no other option but to go for a full-fledged war on these enemies of the state. The baggage of a bitter past has proved to be too heavy to shoulder-carry any longer, a fact reflected through Karzai government's prompt response to Nawaz Sharif's letter delivered by Mehmood Khan Achakzai by sending here a high-level team headed by his national security advisor to set in motion a joint approach towards terrorism.

Terrorists have so far survived by seeking shelter across the common border that is the crux of the understanding that has finally dawned on both sides. Now that both sides have agreed to stop this crisscrossing of terrorists the sanctuaries are expected to run dry of fresh arrivals with a renewed zeal. But there is the imperative of going hard on presently existing sanctuaries and hideouts. On the Pakistani side terrorists have been encircled by troops and their escape is difficult. But on the Afghan side not much seemed to have done against terrorist sanctuaries. In the bordering provinces of Kunar and Nuristan the anti-Pakistan terrorists enjoy refuge of a protected sanctuary, which they use as a launching pad for their murderous forays into Pakistan. Hopefully, the first and foremost task before the joint working group on security agreed to during Dr Spanta's visit should be the complete elimination or Kabul may arrest them and send them to Pakistan. More than any other the Fazlullah group has with it to throw a spanner in the works. The ongoing military operation 'Zarb-i-Azb' in North Waziristan has been rightly described by the ISPR chief Major-General Asim Bajwa as Pakistan's "war for survival". It got to be won, there is just no alternative. By helping Pakistan at this juncture Afghanistan leadership would be fighting the same war for their national survival. Afghanistan too cannot afford to lose it; Kabul, therefore, must seize, not squander, this enormous opportunity.