Distant Neighbours

Despite physical proximity, a shared culture and faith, many Afghans remain hostile towards Pakistan

Sudden escalations in tension between Islamabad and Kabul are not new, as the neighbours have shared such volatility in their relationship since the creation of Pakistan in 1947. However, recent incidents indicate a trend of mounting hostility towards each other, despite so many commonalities between the people of the two countries.

A recent example of this animosity between Afghans and Pakistanis was seen after the Asia Cup cricket match that resulted in the dramatic defeat of Afghanistan at the hands of Pakistan. It resulted in severe altercations between fans of the two sides in the cricket stadium in the United Arab Emirates, and extended to off-the-field brawls on social media, where even officials and politicians from both sides seemed to have dispensed with even common courtesy in their reactions to the outcome of the match.

According to senior journalist and Afghan affairs expert, Mehmood Jan Babar in Peshawar, living and growing up witnessing the brutalities of decades of war has rendered most Afghans harsh in nature, and they tend to believe that  issues can only be resolved through confrontation or extremism.

“Afghans blame Pakistan for all their failures. The US withdraws from Afghanistan by handing over the country to the Taliban, and they blame Pakistan for it. Ashraf Ghani’s government is toppled after an almost 350,000-strong, well-trained Afghan army cannot or does not fight 50,000 or so Taliban, and Pakistan is blamed for this defeat,” said Babar.

Talking about the history of the tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Professor Dr. Fakhar-ul-Islam, Director of Pakistan Study Centre, University of Peshawar, said that Afghanistan’s role from the creation of Pakistan in 1947 until the Soviet invasion in 1979 remained deplorable. “Afghanistan was the only country to have voted against Pakistan joining the United Nations Organisation (UNO) in 1947. Our western neighbour also played a role in eroding Pakistan’s stability by supporting the Pushtunistan issue and financially helping Faqir of Ipi’s proxy war in Waziristan,” the Professor maintained.

Professor Islam added that despite the fact that the entire world, including all the Muslim countries, had supported the Afghan mujahideens’ armed offensive against the Soviets, the Afghans only blamed Pakistan for their suffering wrought by the war. “The Afghan Jihad was supported and funded by everyone, including 57 Muslim nations. It is arguable whether Pakistan had a role in the suffering of the Afghans, but it is absolutely unacceptable to blame only Pakistan for everything. Look how Pakistan has itself suffered over the decades, and yet how it still remains the only country that continues hosting millions of Afghans,” he stated.

The Professor continued, “Pakistan is also blamed and hated for its post 9/11 actions, including the provision of ground and air support to the US and its allies in their War on Terror in 2001. The Afghans hate Pakistan for supporting the United States, but they love the actual aggressor and its Western allies. They wouldn’t think twice before leaving half their children behind in order to get on board a plane leaving for the United States and Europe.”

Pakistan’s former Ambassador to Afghanistan and an expert on Afghan affairs, Rustam Shah Mohmand meanwhile, believes that the recent displeasure of Afghans is mainly due to increased restrictions from Pakistan on the movement of Afghan nationals and goods vehicles into Pakistan.

“The repeated closure of the border crossings, difficulties in getting visas and travelling to Pakistan, miles-long queues of goods-transporting vehicles on the Torkham and Chaman borders, slow checking of goods and processing of travel documents by six to eight different departments and increased taxes on trade, are some of the reasons behind the increasing displeasure of the Afghans against Pakistan,” said Mohmand.

The former Interior Secretary of Pakistan added that the ill management at the border was one factor behind many issues faced by the Afghans. “Instead of the local administration, the control of the border crossings is in the hands of unconcerned people. Border management is not proper as six to eight departments claim they are the real authority on the border. This  leads to days of unnecessary waiting for transporters transporting fruits and vegetables which have a short shelf life,” Mohmand added.

Rustam Shah Mohmand also highlighted another issue that is upsetting the Afghan government and making them believe that Pakistan is not entirely sincere in helping the war-ravaged country. “We are not entertaining their request for permitting trade with India through Pakistan. The Afghans complain that neither is  Pakistan conducting open trade with them,  nor is it allowing them to trade with India. All these factors are contributing to the deteriorating relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They have serious problems of their own, and we are adding to their troubles,” Mohmand contended.

The fact is the issue of allowing India and Afghanistan to trade via Pakistan is not simple. Firstly, Islamabad has legitimate concerns about its security as in the past a New Delhi and Kabul nexus had supported terrorism and violence in Pakistan. Secondly, the situation has become more complicated following New Delhi’s unilateral decision to  scrap even the nominal autonomy granted to the people of occupied Kashmir on August 5, 2019. Pakistan has rightly lessened its diplomatic ties and stopped trade with India as a mark of  solidarity with the Kashmiris. Any change in Pakistan’s stance is now linked to New Delhi’s stance on Kashmir.

Rustam Shah Mohmand believes that Pakistan should recognise the Afghan government as soon as it can. “It will not just provide relief to Afghanistan and its people, but will also prove beneficial for Pakistan. The world will follow Pakistan in recognising Afghanistan’s government. If we are to recognise the Afghan government sooner or later, why shouldn’t we just do it now?” asked the former Ambassador.

Shedding light on the similarities of Pak-Afghan potential and challenges, Khalid Rehman, the  Chairman of the Institute of Peace Studies (IPS) Islamabad noted that the two countries have a great connection because of a shared geography, history and culture. “Being two separate countries is a reality. However, it is also a fact that both countries have great connections. Many powers in the world do not want Pakistan and Afghanistan to have good relations. They always utilise any opportunity to cause tension between us. Our common enemies make what could be so potentially beneficial, such as trade between the two countries, cross-border movement, and even sports, liabilities,” said Rehman. He continued, “Both countries have governance weaknesses, but the easiest solution to most of our tensions would be if both countries and their people recognise each other’s worth, because we have so many common stakes and we can use them to progress together,” said Khalid Rehman.

For Professor Fakhar-ul-Islam, the solution lies in forgiving and forgetting each other’s mistakes of the past as one country cannot progress without the other. “I agree that Pakistan has committed many mistakes, as has Afghanistan. We need to ratify those mistakes. But we are two brotherly countries and we need to forgive and forget each other’s mistakes. If tensions continue and we are forced to close our borders to Afghanistan, it would make things extremely difficult for Afghanistan in many ways, including trade, access to food, medical treatment, etc. I hope that we will be able to mend relations and have a bright future together,” Professor Islam declared.

Mehmood Jan Babar, however,  believes improved relations between the two countries are a far cry, as the countless misconceptions the Afghans have about Pakistan will always remain the biggest hurdle. “Afghans falsely believe that Pakistan has always benefited from their sufferings. I believe the media has a great role in creating and fostering  this mentality and many other misconceptions. This is the media which has been working in Afghanistan for a long time, be it the Indian media, the US or the European media. They have been propagating to the Afghan people that all their sufferings are because of Pakistan, and they portray Pakistan and the Taliban as one entity,” said Babar. He added,

“I think for as long as this mentality prevails in Afghanistan — ie. that every problematic thing happening in Afghanistan is to be blamed on Pakistan — there is no hope for an improvement in relations between the two neighbours. I feel that Pakistan can improve relations with India, but with such a mentality prevailing in Afghanistan, it is not possible to have  sound relations with them. Afghans need to improve relations by sending a peace message to the Pakistani people. No other neighbour accepts and provides assistance to Afghan nationals as much as Pakistan does. That is why, despite all the venomous talk and hatred, Afghans prefer using Pakistan as their stopover when leaving their country.”