Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Don’t Blame Pakistan for Afghanistan’s Woes



Re “Time to Put the Squeeze on Pakistan” (editorial, May 12): Pakistan cannot be held responsible for the mess in Afghanistan, which is the result of the collective failure of the international community and Afghanistan’s internal dynamics.
Allegations of duplicity are extremely painful, especially when Pakistan has suffered the most because of the war in Afghanistan. Hundreds of suicide bombings and tens of thousands of civilian casualties are the direct result of continued instability in Afghanistan.
Instead of complaining about the heavy cost imposed on us, Pakistan has consistently cooperated with the United States and coalition forces in sharing intelligence and decimating the terror outfits operating from the region.
Instead of putting the blame on Pakistan, it would have been better had the editorial also commented on the protracted Afghan refugee issue and the lack of border management as among the underlying reasons for regional instability.
Pakistan does not benefit from instability in Afghanistan. We wish its people peace and prosperity. To this end, we are pursuing mutually beneficial economic integration. This month our leaders inaugurated the CASA-1000 electricity transmission project, which will bring Pakistan and Afghanistan closer.
The Quadrilateral Coordination Group — consisting of the United States and China in addition to Pakistan and Afghanistan — has rightly agreed that long-term peace in Afghanistan can be achieved only through reconciliation between the various Afghan stakeholders. It is imperative that this peace initiative be given a chance to succeed in achieving what war has failed to in the last 15 years.
NADEEM HOTIANA
Press Attaché, Embassy of Pakistan
Washington


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