Towards a New AfPak?

Recent spate of high-level meetings between premiers of Afghanistan and Pakistan might not only improve relationship between the two countries but also bring in much-awaited peace and prosperity to the region.
Shrinivasrao S Sohoni Kabul
 
The walls of the historic Presidential Palace in Kabul this last week echoed the overhead chop-chop of helicopters ferrying VVIPS to and fro the airport each day for many days. For instance on Saturday, March 6, 2010, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani came with minimal prior notice to Kabul and met with President Karzai. On Sunday, UK's Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a similar call. On Monday US Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a visit and on Wednesday, it was Iran's President Ahmednijad's turn to follow suit. On Thursday, Afghanistan's President Karzai reached Islamabad, preceded by a delegation of Ministers from his Cabinet, including the Afghan Ministers of Defence, Foreign Affairs, Interior, Education and Commerce, the National Security Advisor and the Director General of the Riyasat Amaniyat-e-Milli (RAM) i.e. Afghanistan's Directorate of Intelligence. Practically the entire nucleus of the government in Afghanistan was present.
 
President Karzai was received on arrival in Pakistan by almost the entire Pakistani cabinet. Talks were held among others notably again between the Afghan President and Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff. A number of memoranda of understanding were signed covering a range of areas for bilateral cooperation. Press coverage of the various interactions include reports of Kiyani's pressing again an offer of military training in Pakistan of Afghan army and security personnel; President Karzai's statements to the effect that Afghanistan does not want to be the battleground for proxy wars between India and Pakistan, and welcoming Pakistan's cooperation in initiatives for reconciliation and reintegration of Taliban; the idea of the Afghanistan Peace Jirga  followed by an Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Jirga; and of Afghanistan and Pakistan being "twin brothers", indeed,  "conjoined twins" -  the latter term being at once as completely true as it is pithy. (Along with statements underlining the importance of Afghanistan-Pakistan fraternal bonds, the sagacious Afghan President also made it a point to mention ties with India being very close and friendly and graciously acknowledge India's support to Afghanistan's nation-building activity.)
 
Simultaneous to these developments were statements by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband underlining the importance of involving Pakistan in the reconciliation and reintegration of Taliban in Afghanistan, and US General Pitreaus's comment appreciating Pakistan's military and political concerns relative to Afghanistan, focusing particularly on India's substantive friendship and cooperation with Afghanistan.
 
Miliband, overriding diplomatic etiquette expected of a minister of foreign affairs referring to the head of state and government of another country, assumed a high moral tone and pronounced that not what the Afghan President says, but what he does, will be the basis for judging him.
 
Whilst Miliband's comments went largely unnoticed in Afghanistan, US President Barack Obama's Special Envoy, Richard Holbrookes', certainly caught wide attention. Holbrooke's reported assertion that almost every Pashtun family has involvement in Taliban terrorism caused real outrage in Afghanistan, and led to a stinging condemnatory resolution against him in the Afghan Parliament. Holbrooke's subsequent claim of being quoted out of context and misunderstood did not assuage feelings. Official denials are more often taken as proof of the accuracy of the original statement - the old dictum being: "Never believe an official statement till it has been denied."