'Aggression against Afghanistan has harmed Pakistan's own security and future'

Kabul, Oct 21 (IANS) Highlighting that Pakistan's recent aggression across the border has not only harmed Afghanistan but also its own security and future, a report has cited regional analysts as saying that the bold move would not be possible without the tacit approval or intelligence coordination of the United States (US).

The threats made by the US and Pakistani airstrikes conducted simultaneously in areas that were previously under the supervision of the US military has increased the suspicion of coordination and approval in the minds of Afghans. Pakistan and the US have been intertwined in multifaceted game throughout contemporary political history, the Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) stated.

From the Cold War era and its support for the Mujahideen to the post-2001 occupation, the US has used Pakistan as a security arm for its interests in South Asia. The same pattern is being used to put indirect pressure on the Taliban through threats and border aggression, with a goal to impose US' preferred security and intelligence policies.

"The recent statements of US President Donald Trump, who warned that 'if the Taliban do not hand over the Bagram base, things will get bad,' provided the mental and political background for these attacks," it mentioned.

The conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan is based on tense history. Since the Durand Line was drawn in 1893, the border and ethnic ethnicities has remained an issue of disagreement and suspicion between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the AVA highlighted.

The Afghan government's decision to not accept the Durand Line has provided Pakistan an excuse to intervene and justify aggressive actions. Pakistan has been following its policy of intervention in Afghan affairs.

The report added: "From direct support for groups to the destructive role of the military intelligence agency (ISI) in weakening national governments and creating parallel institutions, all have been part of the strategy of 'destabilizing the neighbourhood'."

"With this aggression, Pakistan has not only harmed Afghanistan, but also its own security and future. Every bomb that lands on Afghan soil sows the seeds of instability in Pakistani soil. History is proof that no nation has achieved peace and progress by attacking its neighbours.

"At the same time, Afghanistan should also know that hatred and stubbornness do not replace politics and rationality. Stability and independence are achieved not through emotions, but through wisdom and diplomacy. Accordingly, the way forward is the way of reason, diplomacy, and unity; not through surrender, but through realism. Not through hostility, but through dialogue. And not through division, but through the unison of the nations of the region against the dangerous games of global powers," the Afghan Voice Agency report stated.

--IANS

akl/as