The main cause of Afghanistan's suffering is England, not Pakistan.
Author: Ahmad Saidi, an analyst on Afghanistan and regional issues (Germany), especially for Sangar
1 - What does Pakistan want from Afghanistan?
2 - What does Afghanistan want from Pakistan?
Here are the questions that should be answered using a comprehensive analysis.
You know that almost 10 days ago, Pakistan again closed the Torkham crossing to Afghan trucks. In such a situation, not only the people of Afghanistan but also Pakistan will suffer huge losses from the closure of the gates. Although the Taliban delegation went to Pakistan under the chairmanship of Mullah Shirin, the governor of Kandahar, but, as can be seen, the trip did not have favorable results and returned empty-handed.
On the other hand, Maulana Fazlurrahman came to Kabul, a man who, wherever he goes, trouble happens.
With the visit of Maulana Fazlurrahman, who himself is part of the problems of the region, Afghanistan's relations with Pakistan deteriorated again and the people of Afghanistan again faced problems.
However, unfortunately, the reception that the Taliban gave to Maulana Fazlurrahman in Kabul was at the level of the Prime Minister, which neither Maulana Fazlurrahman deserved nor was there any logic in receiving the Taliban.
In any case, the historical background of Afghan-Pakistani relations does not begin today. It has faced problems in the past and will face problems now, especially under Taliban rule, which currently has neither national nor international legitimacy. It is subject to economic, national, political and cultural problems.
Pakistan, which is its long-time enemy, is exploiting this opportunity in every possible way.
The historical background of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations stems from British atrocities, so if we want to study it, we must first look at the past of Afghanistan-British relations. Afghanistan's problems with its eastern neighbor are inherited from colonial games. They began with the first Afghan-British war when the British moved into Afghanistan under the pretext of protecting India's borders from the Russians and occupied it from Kandahar to Kabul and Jalalabad in the southern Hindu Kush (1839). ), but in 1841 faced a revolt by the people of Afghanistan, and all British troops were destroyed after fleeing Kabul along the Kabul-Jalalabad road, except one man named Dr. Bryden. Everyone knows that the roots of this British enmity did not dry out soon. As a result of this enmity and hatred, the British attacked Afghanistan for the second time forty years after the first campaign (1879) and they again suffered the same fate as their first aggression. To compensate for the military defeats in Afghanistan in the last political game, they left a painful wound on the body of Afghanistan. They called it the infamous “Durand Line” and forever trapped Afghanistan in political conflicts and economic deprivation, which deliberately continues to this day.
a) Why did England do this?
In this game, the British had two goals: first, they wanted Pakistan to become their military and political base forever, and to achieve this goal, Pakistan's continued dependence on the British was considered necessary. Then they drew Pakistan's borders with Afghanistan and India in such a way that the country would remain unstable forever, and Pakistan would need military and political support from the British, as it does now. The second goal was to ensure that Afghanistan could not breathe freely.
Having drawn the “Durand Line” between Afghanistan and India at that time, England pursued several goals: first, to divide the Pashtuns; Second, to forever sow the seeds of discord and hostility between Afghanistan and Pakistan; Thirdly, to put Afghanistan under a long siege and a prison, supposedly free, but in reality, by drawing the “Durand Line”, to deprive Afghanistan of access to sea routes, and economically and commercial ports have always been dependent on Pakistan. This was the cause of continued poverty and deprivation in Afghanistan and a result of the British decision. The fact that Afghans always lose in the political sphere has been proven by history.
The Afghans naively claim that they received freedom and independence from the British, but do not pay attention to the fact that, having drawn the Durand Line, the British threw them into the arms of their mercenary, Pakistan. Currently, Afghanistan does not have a trading port with countries around the world, meaning that it is constantly under economic and political siege from Pakistan.
- b) A historic opportunity and another chance for Pakistan.
The occupation of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union in December 1979 effectively placed Pakistan at the forefront of the united front of the United States of America and made it the frontline hero of the war against Russia. During this period, Pakistan made extensive use of this chance for its own purposes. To build the Afghan resistance, the Pakistani military regime reached out to the refugee camps around the Durand Line, collected aid from the US, Saudi Arabia, Western Europe, and China, as well as the generous personal funds of the Gulf Arabs, and distributed them to mujahideen groups.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 prepared the national and international conditions for Pakistan's political, military, and economic gain. The presence of the Red Army in Afghanistan in the 80s of the last century and the influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan, the emergence of jihadist organizations, and the attraction of financial and military assistance from Western and Arab countries to organize a “holy war” against the former USSR occurred under the direct control of Pakistani military intelligence - ISI, and Islamabad made the most of this opportunity.
Undoubtedly, it was Pakistan, which, after all the destruction in our country, equipped and armed the Taliban group, wanted them to come to power with the direct participation of the ISI, and sent them to our country to achieve its strategic goals. Pakistan then achieved the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.
f) Pakistan's objectives:
To achieve its "strategic depth", Pakistan once supported the Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviet Union and later the Taliban against the Mujahideen. Pakistan's efforts in Afghanistan and the transformation of the country in terms of "strategic depth" through the creation of the Taliban government are a copy of the British "forward development policy" of the 19th century. British policy was based on the assumption that a friendly regime would come to power in Afghanistan and would be able to control the opposition through the force of arms and money. In addition, this regime must ensure that enemy forces, mainly Russia and its ilk, cannot gain a foothold there.
Pakistan, through the hands of Afghan forces, under the pretext of jihad against the Soviet Union and the government supported by this country in Kabul, must first destroy all educational, economic, and everyday facilities, and most importantly, the Afghan National Army. This was what Pakistan desired from God from the very beginning of its birth in the neighborhood of Afghanistan, and it achieved this evil intention freely and without much effort.
Pakistan did not stop at just destroying the Afghan National Army, but also bombarded the historic city of Kabul, the country's capital, with thousands of rockets and mortars. Apart from destroying the infrastructure of the country, with the hands of proxy forces, he also destroyed important water dams such as the Mahipar hydroelectric power station, Naghlu hydroelectric power station, and the very important Darunta irrigation dam, which is one of the green areas and the only source of water for the irrigation system of the populated areas of Jalalabad and Nangarhar province in general. In addition, Pakistan played a key role in clearing thousands of hectares of old forests in Kunar, Nuristan, Paktia, Paktika, and Khost provinces, and did not hesitate to uproot pistachio forests in Samangan and Badghis provinces.
On the other hand, the uncontrolled borders and autonomous border tribal areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan provide a very favorable platform for the creation of a military network in the hands of Pakistan to achieve strategic objectives on two fronts - one in Kashmir against India and the other against Afghanistan.
Factors and motives of the conflict. Pakistan's enmity with Afghanistan is rooted in various factors. To properly understand the facts, factors, and motives of Pakistan's military actions and interventions in Afghanistan, one should study the economic strategic goals of the United States and Pakistan, the historical enmity of England and Afghanistan, the enmity between India and Pakistan, the motives of Iran and Pakistan for interference in the affairs of Afghanistan and the rivalry of the East and West blocs in the region and the world. Of course, Afghanistan and India share a common pain. The fact is that relations between India and Afghanistan have always been good, and this angers Pakistan. Afghanistan's proximity to India is one of the reasons for Pakistan's enmity with Afghanistan. Pakistan argues that Afghanistan and Pakistan have much in common in terms of cultural, economic, and cultural ties, and Afghanistan's proximity to India means that the country's leaders are at odds with Pakistan.
c) What does Pakistan want from Afghanistan?
1 – Territorial issue: Pakistan does not like to hear about “De Pashtunistan Zmung” (Pashtunistan is ours) and does not want to hear anything from Afghanistan on this issue, and at the same time, since its birth, it has controlled the territories claimed by Afghanistan. And it has never been a party to the dispute with Afghanistan. Most likely, he believes that he acquired these territories thanks to England. From Pakistan's point of view, Afghanistan should have any grievances against the British and not against Pakistan. This is why the Pakistanis say that we have not signed any conditional agreement with the Afghans to give them back some of our land. Therefore, Pakistan wants Afghanistan not to interfere in its territory for the sake of people and families on both sides of the Durand Line, etc., but it will do its best against Afghanistan.
2 - Economic Goal: Pakistan wants to achieve the benefits of economic strategy in Central Asian and Gulf countries through Afghanistan. To achieve this goal, Afghanistan must be economically weak and in terms of political and leadership capabilities, in the position of Abdurahmankhan and with a simple signature, must remain under Pakistan for centuries.
3 - Undermining reconstruction and political stability and disturbing the atmosphere of peace and security in the country, Pakistan is putting pressure on the Afghan government, in addition to officially recognizing the Durand Line, and on the issue of natural resources, especially the water of the Kabul River and the rivers of other provinces in the eastern part of the country, to receive more points. For example, take advantage of the precious waters of internal rivers, which generous nature gave to the people of Afghanistan, as well as stretch gas and oil pipelines from Turkmenistan to Pakistan.
d) The mistake of Afghan politicians:
Afghan politicians and leaders use the Pashtun-Baloch struggle in an extremely negative and naive manner. They think they are chanting the same slogan that the Pashtuns on the other side of the Durand Line are emphasizing when the truth is different. The Pashtun and Baloch struggle of Pakistan is an internal issue of Pakistan. Pashtun and Baloch leaders never want to divide Pakistan, but they want to get their rights within Pakistan based on the constitution of that country and they have always played a prominent role in the elections and governance of Pakistan.
A) Consequences and results of this mistake:
The Durand Line brought us economic and political downfalls and problems: first, being landlocked and dependent on Pakistan. Whenever relations between the two countries along the Durand Line deteriorate, Pakistan uses multi-pronged tactics, which include imposing an embargo on the transfer of property of Afghan businessmen or numerous disruptions and increases in customs tariffs, which play a major role in the instability of the economic situation in Afghanistan. And this makes Afghanistan more dependent every time. For Afghanistan, the only way that can connect to the modern world is through Pakistan and Iran, which will secure their trade with the world through the sea.
Solutions: Tension and violence are not the solution, but good relations can open to Afghanistan a different world. By maintaining international ties and engagement and sincere agreements with its neighbors, Afghanistan can open a trade corridor to the port of Karachi and in the same way, open up its way to the waters of the Persian Gulf by implementing the Golestan Treaty. But, unfortunately, in Afghanistan, whoever comes to power calls the obligations and contracts of the previous rulers treasonous and cancels them.
The only solution to Afghanistan's problem is to hold a regional conference and ensure Afghanistan's access to waterways. The conference of neighboring countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Central Asian countries, Iran, and even Arab countries, and with the presence of the international community, these countries should oblige everyone not to interfere in Afghanistan's affairs, establish Afghanistan's right to use seaports, especially in Iran and Pakistan. Holding such a conference under the leadership of the UN with US mediation will increase the effectiveness of the conference.
In this case, until Afghanistan ensures relative stability, establishes internal and external security, staffs the national army, and lays the foundations of the material and technical basis for economic development, there will be a danger of encroachments on the country's territory. Security and stability, which are the most important areas of economic activity, as well as domestic and foreign investment, will be guaranteed, and economic activity, as well as domestic and foreign investment, will be significantly increased in an atmosphere of security and stability.
Stability and security are the most important components of economic development. For Afghanistan to survive and even survive the fall, it is necessary to ensure stability, and this is impossible without concluding a long-term cooperation agreement with the countries involved in the region, taking into account national interests.
