Islamabad: Imtiaz Gul. Executive Director, Centre for Research and Security Studies has urged greater vigilance and surveillance of the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan because Pakistan is a victim of proxy terrorism and not extremist militancy.
Mr Imtiaz was speaking at a webinar on the future of peace in Afghanistan organised here by the Institute of Regional Studies. Mr Imtiaz said that we had experienced a fair share of militant violence in the past. He asserted that Pakistan had been playing a constructive role in bringing peace to Afghanistan through actions such as bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, facilitating a breakthrough deal between Taliban and US for the withdrawal of Nato troops, and making all efforts to make the intra-Afghan dialogue a success.
He emphasised that internal Afghan conflicts had the potential to impact the entire region. He was of the opinion that Afghan stakeholders could not defeat each other militarily in the short run and, thus, needed to sit across the table to sort out their differences. This, he argued, would save the people of Afghanistan from unnecessary bloodshed and misery.
He observed that the US military involvement in Afghanistan had come to an end and that there was no possibility of further military intervention by the US or NATO forces in the country.
Emphasising the socio-political changes in Afghanistan, he pointed out that the Taliban had claimed that they would safeguard human rights including women rights and would avoid upsetting their regional supporters.
Mr Imtiaz cautioned, however, that the Taliban were a conservative tribal force and expecting a sudden change in their behaviour and world view would not be correct. He was of the view that the international community could also play its role in making sure that the Taliban came with a reformed governance approach.
Furthermore, he highlighted that Pakistan needed to go on an information offensive to offset the Afghan narrative regarding the Durand Line. He was of the opinion that the existing Afghan refugees in Pakistan were no longer an economic burden because it had integrated into the economy. However, he expressed his concern that further influx could be damaging to Pakistan’s economy. The need of the hour is smart diplomacy, vision, and farsightedness, he said.
Dr. Naheed Goraya from the Centre for South Asian Studies underlined that peace could only be achieved through understanding and not war. She added that any forced settlement could lead to a protracted situation of conflict in Afghanistan. She said that the attainment of peace would be a long process and would require political will of all stakeholders. “Pakistan can help as a facilitator but cannot impose anything on the Afghans,” she said. Nadeem Riyaz, President, IRS, also spoke on the occasion.