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April 21, 2011 Special Dispatch No. 3777

During Talks in Kabul, Pakistani Military Asserts Control on Afghanistan, Pakistani Leaders Make Fundamental Demands To Afghanistan

April 21, 2011
Pakistan, Afghanistan | Special Dispatch No. 3777


Afghan President Hamid Karzai shakes hand of Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani as Pakistani Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Junior Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, and ISI chief Lt.-Gen. Shuja Pasha look on (Image courtesy: Roznama Ummat (Pakistan), April 17, 2011)

On Saturday, April 16, 2011, almost the entire top Pakistani leadership arrived in Kabul to hold bilateral talks with the Afghan government leaders. Among those who came included: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Pakistani Junior Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistani Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, as well as Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Lt.-Gen. Shuja Pasha, the chief of Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The talks in Kabul were led by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, with the Afghan delegation also including Afghan military and intelligence leaders.

General Kayani and Shuja Pasha are the two powerful Pakistani leaders who virtually dictate Pakistan's day-to-day foreign policy on Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, and the United States. During the day-long talks, it was decided to establish a two-tier Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Commission, an unprecedented move that facilitates the presence of Pakistan Army chief General Kayani and ISI chief Lt.-Gen. Shuja Pasha on the commission, enabling them a greater role in moulding Afghanistan's internal affairs and foreign policies. Speaking after the talks, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said: "The Pakistani prime minister, the chief of Army staff, and the intelligence agency chief would now represent the country on the peace commission, charged with finding a way of reaching a peace deal with the Taliban."[1]

It is perhaps the first time that the Pakistani military has formally embedded itself in a mechanism that allows it to shape the future of Afghanistan. A Pakistani media report noted: "The joint commission will work at two levels. The chief executives of both countries, as well as army chiefs, heads of intelligence agencies, and foreign and interior ministers will comprise the first tier of the commission, while foreign and interior secretaries, directors-general of military operations, and directors-general of military intelligence will form the second tier."[2]

The timing of the talks is significant for two reasons: first, there is a near-total breakdown in Pakistan's relationship with the United States, while the Karzai government's relationship with the Obama administration is also not smooth; second, Pakistan is motivated to shape the situation in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2014, when NATO plans to hand over all security responsibilities to the Afghan security forces.

Although General Kayani and Shuja Pasha dictate Pakistan's policy on Afghanistan, it is the Pakistani civilian government leaders who put forward the day-to-day Pakistani policies in interactions with the Afghan government. During the Kabul talks, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani presented written demands to the Afghan government. Details of the Paksitani demands, not made public at the time, are beginning to leak to the media.

The following are excerpts from reports on this issue:

'[Afghan] Experts Say the [Pakistani Leaders'] Demands... Threaten Afghanistan's Sovereignty and Independence'

According to an Afghan media report:[3]

"The Pakistani Premier [Yousuf Raza Gilani] has presented his country's demands to the Afghan government, a source close to the issue has said. [Afghan] experts say the demands, which are yet to be announced officially by the [Karzai] government, threaten Afghanistan's sovereignty and independence. Experts highlighted that any hasty move of the government about the demands would be a big mistake and treachery to Afghans, that history will record.

"Pakistan should be consulted on the training and number of Afghan forces; Pakistan's share in Afghan mines and development projects should be cleared; implementation of Pakistani strategies in future governments in Afghanistan, recruitment of Pakistani cadres in the [Afghan] government institutions [should be ensured]; and Pakistan should be kept aware of any sort of agreement between Afghanistan and its Western allies, including the U.S. and NATO; [these] are the demands suggested in written form by the Pakistani Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani during his recent visit to Kabul.

"The Afghan government has yet to officially comment on the demands suggested by the Pakistani premier. Experts see some of the demands as obvious intervention of Pakistan into Afghan's domestic affairs. 'Pakistan has never been honest with us. Now, Pakistan has made a close friendship with the Afghan government and it was hidden before,' Noor-ul Haq Ulomi, an Afghan political analyst, said.

"Experts say that in the past ten years Pakistan has increased its influence in almost all government organizations and even into foreign [ministry] institutions [of Afghanistan], and an increase in violence [i.e. the Taliban attacks] is part of Pakistan's pressures to make the Afghan government accept the demands.

"'Unfortunately, Mr. President [Karzai] has begun to negotiate covertly with Pakistan, and the government's preparation to provide more concessions to Pakistan for reconciliation with the Taliban is one of the biggest mistakes it is making,' Haroon Mir, an Afghan expert, said. Experts urged the government to present the demands before Afghans and the House of Representatives."

Headline in Pakistani Daily: "[Afghanistan Told It] Will Have to Follow Our Strategy, Pakistan's Stern Message to Afghanistan"

On April 20, 2011, four days after the talks, the Urdu-language Pakistani daily Roznama Jasarat carried a report titled: "[Afghanistan told it] will have to follow our strategy, Pakistan's stern message to Afghanistan."[4] The Pakistani media report further noted:

"During his recent visit to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Razi Gilani delivered a stern message from Pakistan to the Karzai government in which it has been said that Afghanistan will have to consult with Pakistan regarding the number and training of its security forces.

"Development projects in the country should be clear; the future governments in Afghanistan will have to follow the Paksitani strategy; Pakistanis should be recruited in the [Afghan] government institutions; and Afghanistan will inform Pakistan regarding any agreement signed with the Western allies, including the U.S. and NATO..."


Endnotes:

[1] The News (Pakistan), April 17, 2011.

[2] The News (Pakistan), April 17, 2011.

[3] www.tolonews.com (Afghanistan), April 19, 2011. The text of the report has been lightly edited for clarity.

[4] Roznama Jasarat (Pakistan), April 20, 2011.

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