Pak-Afghan cooperation: EDITORIAL in Dawn, February 29th, 2016

WITH the Quadrilateral Coordination Group on Afghanistan pressing for the resumption of talks between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban, it was always likely that Taliban groups either opposed to talks or seeking to gain an advantage at the negotiating table would ramp up attacks inside Afghanistan.Adding to that possibility is the onset of the main fighting season as winter winds down in Afghanistan. Yet, attacks such as the one that took place in Kabul on Saturday, in which a suicide bomber struck near the defence ministry, carry a particular danger.In the past, the Afghan government has reacted with great anger to attacks in the capital city and has accused Pakistan of not doing enough to stop the alleged planning and coordination of such attacks from its soil.While the accusations may well have been exaggerated, it is likely that a fresh wave of attacks, especially in Kabul, could undermine efforts within the QCG to lessen the mistrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan and damage the talks process itself.Intelligence cooperation and border management remain, as ever, the areas where Pakistan and Afghanistan need to do much more.
The high-level delegations that travel back and forth between Islamabad and Kabul and to border areas only appear able to achieve limited, short-term successes.Neither Afghanistan nor Pakistan appear willing to have the frank discussions necessary at the political, military and intelligence levels to make the border less porous.Nor do the outside powers in the QCG, China and the US, appear to have the inclination or tools to nudge Afghanistan and Pakistan closer to lasting solutions.It is a strange, dangerous situation. With Zarb-i-Azb now in its last phase, a final ground offensive in North Waziristan will dislodge more militants and likely send a number of them scrambling across the border into Afghanistan.Meanwhile, the Afghans are bracing for what is likely to be the most ferocious fighting season ever — with eastern and southern Afghanistan remaining unstable. It makes sense, therefore, for Pakistan and Afghanistan to cooperate — and yet intelligence cooperation and border management remain piecemeal and ad hoc.Perhaps, then, the best hope is for the soon-to-be-resumed Afghan peace talks to produce quick results.Drawing the main or even some Taliban factions into peace negotiations will create some leverage over those groups to discourage the most destabilising attacks, like those in Kabul.And, pursuant to a deal, a more stable Afghanistan would allow it address Pakistan’s security concerns regarding anti-Pakistan militant sanctuaries along the border.Until then, the Pak-Afghan focus should be to cooperate when violence spikes rather than descend into a blame game.http://www.dawn.com/news/1242578/pak-afghan-cooperation