State of conflict

Former ISI chief Lt General (r) Asad Durrani in an interview with ‘Russia Today’, published on October 29, while commenting on the situation in Afghanistan and the new US policy is reported to have said that the US “wants to keep a military presence in Afghanistan at all costs. Essentially, the policy remains the same, and that is – you have dig in Afghanistan, stay there, keep the bases, keep the military presence, that’s more important than either peace there or settlement there or whatever else.”

While analysing developments regarding peace prospects in Afghanistan and the South Asian region, and suggesting ways and means it could be ensured if the stakeholders – particularly the US – were really sincere, one got the feeling that the US was poised to stay in Afghanistan for a very long time to come.

Somehow, it seems instability in the region suits the US. The emergence of Daesh in Afghanistan is going to have a destabilising effect on the whole region, particularly Pakistan. The organisation has claimed responsibility for some of the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Afghanistan is poised to remain conflict-ridden for an indefinite period of time with all the negative fall-out for the neighbouring countries unless they adopt collective measures to prevent the spill-over of terrorism from Afghanistan to their territories.

The US-Indian nexus against CPEC is also part of the strategy to check the burgeoning Chinese influence in the region and beyond, and offers an adequate explanation for Indian refusal to join this mega-economic initiative that seeks to orchestrate shared economic prosperity for the entire region. If ever there was any doubt about this nefarious nexus between US and India it was removed by the statement of US Defence Secretary James Mattis before the Senate Armed Services committee in which he reportedly said: “The One Belt, One Road – of which CPEC is the flagship – also goes through disputed territory and I think it itself shows the vulnerability of trying to establish that sort of dictate”

IS has claimed responsibility for some of the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. The first evidence of IS presence emerged when two Chinese language teachers were kidnapped in Quetta on 24 May, 2017 and the organisation claimed responsibility for it. Then in mid-June security forces in an intelligence-based operation in Mastung area reportedly killed a number of top commanders of IS who were meeting their Lashkar-e-Jhangvi supporters. The security forces also made some arrests.

The RAW-NDS nexus in promoting and supporting TTP in terrorist acts in Pakistan is an established fact. The introduction of IS has added a new dimension to the challenges Pakistan faces in dealing with terrorism, ensuring the implementation of CPEC projects in Balochistan and maintaining security when this mega-project becomes operational.

Thanks to intelligence-based operations in the country, the security situation in the country has increased considerably. In the context of CPEC, Pakistan has also raised a special security division comprising 15,000 men to provide security to the Chinese working on projects in Balochistan and other parts of the country.

It is encouraging to note that in view of the significance of CPEC for the future economic progress of Pakistan and the regional linkages that it promises to establish, the civil and military leadership of the country are unswervingly committed to ensuring the implementation of CPEC and the creation of a congenial and secure environment to keep it operational. Our armed forces and intelligence outfits have done a sterling job in checking the phenomenon of terrorism in its tracks on the internal front for which they deserve unqualified accolades of the entire nation.

As far as the external dimension to terrorism in Pakistan is concerned, to neutralise the impact of the presence of foreign troops and IS in Afghanistan, Pakistan will have to strive for building a regional alliance of countries that have a stake in peace in the region and in eradication of the scourge of terrorism.

 

The writer is a freelance
contributor.

Email: ashpak10@gmail.com