Although Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated that the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Afghanistan and India will not affect ties with Pakistan, it is clear that this has already started being perceived with suspicion.
The dynamics of the region, the tension between the two neighbours and the US-led war on terror could possibly lead to further obstacles aggravated by this pact.
Karzai said that Pakistan is a “twin brother” and India is a “great friend”. He also said that he doesn’t expect this relationship to go beyond Afghanistan and India. However, there remains too much distrust between the “twin brothers” to actually believe various statements issued by each other’s offices.
Can Pakistan continue to focus on working mutually with Afghanistan to battle militancy as opposed to investing itself further in the realm of mistrust?
Although this agreement between Pakistan’s two neighbours is nothing new, will it cause further tension in its own relationship with these nations?
Most of all, will this agreement with India really have no impact on the Pak-Afghan relationship?
Dawn.com invites its readers to give their views and suggestions.
Afghanistan is a sovereign country like any other in the world. Unfortunately, they are torned apart in recent past. The afghan people has the full right to build their nation in today’s era. Normal civilised life, law and order institutions, trade-business needs to improve. They do not want external millitary to protect their country. They want to run their own country. So in my opinion India did the right move for improving the life of afghan people and helping them to stand on their own feet. Well done India.
The is matter is, whether Pakistan and India are friends or not. If they are friends then any sort of agreement between Afghanistan and India will not affect Pakistan.
This is just an arrangement between two sovereign countries and the statement of Pakistan’s foreign ministry that Afghanistan should behave in a mature way is sheer interference. Pakistan can not decide what Afghanistan should do as India can not when China involves with Pakistan in every way. Afghans will decide what they want to so and Pakistan should mind its own problems.
You need to read the context in which the foreign ministry issued the statement. It has nothing to do with Afghan-India deal.
in that case if Pakistan also forges strategic relations with Sirilanka, Bangladesh adn China then India should not be worried.
Sure, I am agreed and this should apply on USA too that they should not interfere in Pakistan
I think Pakistan should enter into similar agreements with Bangladesh, Srilanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan.
Lets see if you will still say that those would be agreements between soverign states? I hope you would, by the way!
I agree with your statement…Despite Pakistan feeling uneasy of this arrangement, this is between the two soverign countries. It is reflected in prime minister statement earlier that Afganistan and India are two countries and they have a right to establish any relationship.
So true bro
Very well summarized….
This agreement should not defeat India Afganistan Pakistan relations. Afganistan needs trained army and only neighbour who can do this in very short of time is India.
@Furkan Chaudhary – what is so special about the Indian Army that it can train the Afghans in a short time when NATO and U.S. couldn’t do it in 10 years? Pakistan is right to fear that it will be trained as a proxy for India. Pakistan did not host 3 million Afghan refugees for 3 decades so that Afghanistan can become it’s enemy.
How so? How did you arrive at this conclusion? Can Pak Army not train their counterparts in Afghanistan? It is not so much the time issue, it is a general direction of Afghan government to seek “enemy of my enemy is my friend” approach. It is obvious that Afghan government does not trust Pakistan nor it wants to have any “brotherly” relations
“Trust begets trust” my dear friend. If you dont trust me its for me to take a step forward. But unless that step forward is well matched – unlike the Kargil war- its difficult to establish trust.
Mr. Chaudhary,
First accept my congratulations on such thoughtful analysis of foreign policy. Your views truly reflect the thoughts of a genius in making.
Now, please help us clean-up Pakistan by enlisting yourself in the india trained Afghan army. It would do wonders in our relationship with india and Afghanistan and certainly fulfill your life long dream of joining your brothers in accomplishing the mission set forth by “brotherly governments” of india and Afghanistan.
I respectfully disagree. Pakistan has one of the best armed forces by quality and quantity and can easily train the Afghan army in a certain period of time. The only difference is that India is pumping a lot of money into Afghanistan for the purpose of establishing a permanant foothold in Pakistan’s backyard to create constant trouble across the wakhan line. Thus Afghanistan is obliging for the sake of badly needed funds.