Need a regional approach to Afghanistan

Around two months after the US President announced his South Asia policy and blamed Pakistan for harbouring alleged safe havens for Taliban, there has been no indication that the new strategy is being put into action. One reason for this is Pakistans strong objection to Trumps threats which has forced US on the backfoot. Soon after Trump outlined the new US policy towards the region, Pakistan cancelled all the scheduled talks with the senior US functionaries who were due to visit the country. Though the two countries restored their engagement following the Pakistani prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasis talks with the US Vice President Mike Pence, the future of the relationship continues to be uncertain. Pakistani foreign minister Khawaja Asifs visit to US and his meetings with the US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and the secretary of defence Jim Mattis have been more or less tentative in nature. However, unlike in the past, Pak FM took a very aggressive line. In his interactions in the country Asif made it clear that Pakistan cant be coerced into doing the American bidding. He blamed US equally for the mess in Afghanistan. Now senior US officials are visiting Pakistan to carry forward the conversation. The Defence Secretary is expected to come with a tough message. But Islamabad seems in no mood to relent. The country seeks accommodation of its security interests before it extends its support to new US policy. This also includes limiting Indian influence and penetration in Afghanistan. The two countries thus will have to work out some kind of a trade-off to again start collaborating in the war.

US will also need to make some subtle adjustment in its Afghanistan policy to make it work. In its current shape, the policy almost entirely neglects the regional geo-politics, prevailing issues and the contending interests of the neighbouring countries which essentially keep the conflict going in the war-torn country. So rather than an Afghanistan-centric policy, US needs a broader regional approach to work for an integrated solution to the conflicts and the competing interests that in turn fuel the war in Kabul. But it hasnt done so. Trump, on the contrary has gone against the objective assessments of the situation and arrived at a self-interested and subjective idea of solution which is certain to aggravate not only the conflict in Afghanistan but also the regional rivalries, especially the one between India and Pakistan. Dividing the two countries since their founding is the festering issue of Kashmir.

Trumps new policy hardly takes on board the regional complexity, with each neighbouring country looking to secure their respective interest rather than working together for a solution. The only way that this destabilizing situation can be effectively tackled is for the regional powers including India and Pakistan to cooperate and find a comprehensive solution. And for such a solution to materialize it has to first address the core concerns of the neighbouring countries and take care of their respective interests.

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