Pakistan Press on Divorce in Pakistan, Women Empowerment and Afghanistan: New Age Islam's Selection, 19 March 2021
By
New Age Islam Edit Desk
19 March
2021
•
Getting Divorced Is a Simple and Elegant Process in Pakistan
By
Asfand Yar Warraich
•
Women Empowerment Is a Myth In Pakistan
By
Nasir Khan
• Art
of Recitation of Quran
Kashif
Shahzada
•
Narrative of Forgiveness
By Dr
Ramesh Kumar Vankwani
•
Afghanistan — May 1 and Moonshot
By
Aneela Shahzad
•
Finding Peace In and Around Afghanistan
By
Shahzad Chaudhry
------
Getting
Divorced Is A Simple And Elegant Process In Pakistan
By
Asfand Yar Warraich
March 19,
2021
IF you are
a Muslim man in this country, getting divorced is a remarkably simple and
elegant process. All you are required to do is to pronounce ‘talaq’ in front of
two witnesses (verbally or in writing, the choice is entirely yours) and then
notify this fact to both your wife and the relevant local body — typically a
union council or a cantonment board or some synonymous set-up. All in all, it
is a wholly unilateral procedure — final, effective and dependent on none.
Within 30
days of having been notified so, the local body in question shall form what the
law calls an ‘arbitration council’, which shall be tasked with bringing about a
reconciliation between you and your estranged spouse. If you fail to reconcile
within a 90-day period, or simply neglect or even wilfully refuse to go when
summoned by the council, the divorce will stand automatically finalised, the
local body will issue a certificate of confirmation, and voila! You shall be
free from the contractual and holy bonds of matrimony.
If on the
other hand you happen to be a Muslim woman, this process gets far more
complicated. If you are fortunate enough to have a delegated right of divorce
(talaq-i-tafweez), you may enjoy all the privilege that is accorded to a man
and follow the exact same procedure as summarised above, but, if you hold no
such right (as is the case with the majority of marriages), you must take
recourse to our family courts, and there, in dingy corridors where anxious
families pace around in endless circles, frantically chasing the slippery
spectre of justice, you must file and contest a suit seeking dissolution of
your marriage by way of khula — either on account of a legally recognised fault
(like cruelty, desertion, impotence and such) or no fault at all (like the fact
that you believe that the two of you are simply incompatible).
For this,
you will need to hire a lawyer, who will doubtless charge a fee — minimal or
reasonable or extortionate, as the case may be. On the first date of hearing,
the judge shall admit your suit and direct your counsel to serve notices on
your spouse, the costs of which you must necessarily bear. Per law, your
husband should have no more than 30 or so days to appear before the court and
submit his reply, but in practice, a cunning lawyer can easily employ some of
the procedural tricks of our trade and wheedle out a couple of months.
Once a
reply has been tendered, you will both be called for a ‘pre-trial hearing’,
where the judge will essentially ask if you are willing to discard your
differences and enter into a compromise (albeit an overenthusiastic adjudicator
may take this liberty to grill you with intrusive and at times insensitive
questions). Thankfully, the personal inclinations of the judge are irrelevant,
and at this point, if you record a clear and categorical statement that you do
not wish to reconcile, the judge must decree your suit immediately — no ifs or
buts (unless it is a fault-based claim, which may, if you insist, proceed
further).
With a
certified copy of this judgement in hand, you shall then be re-routed to the
exact same procedure that a man has to comply with while exercising his right
to declare talaq — notifying the relevant local body, waiting for the
arbitration council to complete its 90-day existence, and finally, walking away
with a divorce certificate.
As is
evident, divorce laws in our country do not treat men and women with even the
faintest trace of parity. While both are subject to going through arbitration
councils, women must bear an additional burden — facing the physical, emotional
and financial cost of having to go through an entire judicial obstacle course
to achieve the same result. There is a reason for this differential treatment.
Dig into
not-so-distant history and we find that initially, the law on khula was purely
fault-based. Back in 1952, a full bench of the Lahore High Court concluded that
mere “incompatibility of temperament” was not an acceptable reason for granting
khula, for “if wives were allowed to dissolve their marriages, without the
consent of their husbands, by merely giving up their dowers, paid or promised
to be paid, the institution of marriage would be meaningless as there would be
no stability attached to it”. It did not question why this ‘stability’ remained
unthreatened when a man already held the right to divorce at any time and for
any reason.
In 1959,
this judgement was revisited and this time, the court reasoned that to ignore
incompatibility or any similar no-fault plea would force people into hateful
unions, leaving them incapable of observing “the limits of God”. By 1967, the
Supreme Court too had endorsed this view, and thus, the consent of the husband
became irrelevant altogether and incompatibility became a valid ground for
khula — though women continued to be subjected to the trials and tribulations
of recording testimony and getting cross-examined, for naturally, the judge had
to be ‘satisfied’ that any acrimony had indeed developed.
The real
sea change came in 2002, when Musharraf’s government enacted an amendment
mandating courts to summarily decree claims for Khula as soon as reconciliation
failed. For no-fault claims for Khula, this bypassed the evidence stage
completely, stripping the court of any judicial function per se and turning
them into nothing more than a formality (an eminently sensible position, since
incompatibility is not a subject fit for judicial determination).
As welcome
as these piecemeal developments are, they do lead to a follow-up question — if
family courts are no longer exercising any adjudicatory role in such cases, on
what basis are women still being made to go to courts to assert this right in
the first place? Would it not be fairer and more equitable for them to simply
notify the concerned local body of their intention to seek khula, just as men
already do?
Parity is
paramount. And all people deserve to exit the unions of their choice —
gracefully, peacefully and above all, equally.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1613356/divorce-and-disparity
-----
Women
Empowerment Is a Myth in Pakistan
By Nasir
Khan
March 19,
2021
Human
beings are on a level playing field. They should have lived in peace with each
other. To some extent, along the way, women have begun to be considered
inferior and have not received the attention they deserve. They are not allowed
to make their own decisions and must abide by the restrictions placed on them.
The empowerment of women is a global initiative aimed at bringing women to the
same level as men and aimed at enhancing all rights to the social, economic and
educational needs of women. It is about creating an environment without gender
inequality. It ensures that they have equal opportunities in the family,
culture, community, and workplace. Women account for roughly half of the
world’s population, implying that there will be no growth or progress in the
country without them. Women’s empowerment would foster society’s overall growth
due to their active involvement in all fields. The empowerment of women means
that women have the ability to grant them equal rights in life, work and
decisions in various fields, such as personal, social, economic, political and
legal. Women are increasingly capable of determining their own lives and
occupations, and of realizing their full potential.
Gender
equality is a strategy for women’s liberation. It is a human right, but men and
women in our society also have unequal access to opportunities and
decision-making authority. Women have less opportunity to engage in economic
and fiscal activities than men in the world, women have less reach to
education, and are more susceptible to health, security and safety threats.
Such marches are not only for achievement of gender equality, but also for the
achievement of development goals, ensuring women’s rights and also provide them
the opportunities to achieve their full potential and talent is critical. Women
and girls who are empowered have the potential to contribute to the health,
education, betterment of their families, community, society and countries, and
they have also a positive ripple impact that benefits the world.
If we look
in the history to grasp the women status, it can be found that in Greek
mythology, the woman is considered the root of all evil. The Greeks portrayed
women in the name of art to promote unfettered sex. In the second civilization,
the Romans and their philosopher Seneca condemned the depraved family system of
the Romans. A movement called “Floralia” promoted the atmosphere of debauchery.
“Women are
the unavoidable bad, sad disasters, and seductive problems,” Chrysostom said of
Christianity. “The feminine condition is a deformity,” Aristotle claimed.
“Women are immoral men,” says Roman Catholic Aquino (Aquino). “Women are the
root of stupidity and irrationality,” Nietzsche, a German philosopher, argues.
In modern Europe, women do not have the same rights. This has led to the
feminist movement; they have been fighting for equal rights for women.
Before the
advent of Arab Islam, the status of fairness was daunting. Sometimes girls are
killed as soon as they are born. Men can marry or divorce as many times as they
want. The number of wives is unlimited. Islam liberated women in all aspects.
The rule that empowers women in the Islamic way of life is freedom.
Empowerment
is multidimensional, because it encompasses personal financial independence,
social awareness, and political awareness. These elements can be divided into
economic authorization, social authorization and political authorization.
Usually,
when a woman is empowered, the family will move, the village will move, and the
country will move. Perhaps the best form of empowerment is to make women the
mainstream of development. Only by empowering women with income and property,
enabling them to stand up and establish their social status, and empower women
can it be real and effective. The empowerment of women has become one of the
most important concerns of the 21st century not only at the national level but
also at the international level. Government initiatives alone are not enough to
achieve this goal. The society must take the initiative to create an atmosphere
free of gender discrimination, and women have ample opportunities to make
decisions and participate in the country’s social, political and economic life
with an equal consciousness. The world is undergoing tremendous changes in this
contemporary society. Another need is to empower women to change the situation
of women. In this male-dominated society, changing society’s attitudes towards
women can promote social development, contribute to the professional, social,
political and economic growth of the country and the world, and beautify the
world.
Pakistani
women face a variety of social ills as a result of the society’s and country’s
deeply rooted patriarchal social, religious, and political structures. Sexual
inequality is caused by systemic discrimination, which includes, but is not
limited to, forced marriage and early childhood marriage. Lack of formal public
education opportunities, lack of mobility and access to two-wheelers, lack of
free and safe use of public spaces, domestic abuse, sexual assault and family violence,
public transit and workplaces, wage disparity, and the right to sexual freedom
Under religious garb, there is freedom of movement, choice, and equality. Women
are the victims of a variety of serious crimes, such as rights violations and
retaliation, including but not limited to acid attacks and unexplained honour
killings, about which culture is often quiet and the state often ignores. With
the aid of social media, a new generation of women started collectively
questioning the status quo under the leadership of the feminist movement.
Aurat March
2021 focused on the women’s health issue, economic disparity and domestic
violence to bring attention and adverse impact of Pandemic on women in
Pakistan. During Covid 19 Pandemic time, 2,297 cases of domestic violence have
been increased. There were 57 % cases in Punjab, 27% cases from Sindh. In Aurat
March, it is tried to express that patriarchy is the major factor behind this
domestic violence against the women during this pandemic.
Most of
Pakistanis have criticized the Aurat March just because of the inappropriate
slogans. The slogans and play-cards were not made to attract people of all
walks of life. These were considered vulgar and inapt in their nature.
Pakistanis’ are not against the Aurat March but they have reservations on the
way they conducted the protest. The protest should be so attractive and eye
catching that must respected be respected by people of all walks of life.
Anyhow, overall, the Aurat March has given a new dimension to Pakistani women
to think about their rights for the betterment of their lives. In nutshell,
women must continue their fight for their rights and equal empowerment.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/735964/women-empowerment-is-a-myth-in-pakistan/
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Art of
Recitation Of Quran
By Kashif
Shahzada
March 19,
2021
MANY
approach the study of the Quran as a written text. They will engage with its
vocabulary, its translation and commentary but what is often overlooked is the
fact that the Quran is originally a spoken word.
It was
spoken and delivered verbally as it was revealed and it was its phonetics and
recitation that captured the attention of its audience. Thus the recitation of
the Quran is a well-developed art form throughout the Islamic world, with the
Egyptian tradition being widely acclaimed in the field.
The Book is
not only recited as part of the five daily prayers and liturgical worship, it
is also heard day and night in homes, shops, and taxis, and on the street, on
television and on computers. It is heard as a meditation as well as for its
healing effects.
A number of
qaris or reciters have become household names in the Islamic world. The likes
of Saud Ash-Shuraim, Abdul Rahman as-Sudais, Abdul Basit, Abdul Samad, and
Siddiq Minshawi have breathtaking recitals to their credit and are common
voices in Muslim homes. Among women, American convert Jennifer Grout is
becoming very popular with her mesmerising vocals.
Pakistan
too is catching up and earlier I had the opportunity to speak to a young qari,
Hassan Ali Kasi, who has been winning accolades for his gifted Quranic
recitation.
I inquired
about the process of becoming a qari and was given a detailed insight. Hassan
memorised the Quran at a very early age. His father and uncle, both of whom are
leading reciters, were his principal motivators. Along with memorisation he
learned the rules of tajweed (elocution).
Becoming a
qari is not easy by any means, and Hassan had to do arduous yoga exercises and
climbing of stairs as part of breath control. A typical day for him begins
before dawn and he has to practise his vocals for a considerable period of
time. As the voice is the main medium of delivery, it has to be taken care of
through vocal exercises and an appropriate diet. A reciter who starts out young
needs to be wary of changes that take place as youngsters undergo hormonal
changes.
While being
passionate about his art, Hassan also laments the fact that there is little
governmental patronage extended to reciters and the country has an absence of
training institutes working on international standards.
He also
notes that Pakistani religious seminaries are not playing their due role in
producing reciters of international standard.
Competing
in an international competition is an altogether different and challenging
experience. A competitor has to pay attention to the rules of elocution as well
as the maqamat or stations of recitation. Hassan says that tajweed should be
taught in schools by capable teachers with special attention paid to the
Egyptian style. His favourite reciters all hail from Egypt, the primary ones
being the late Qari Basit and Qari Mustafa Ismail.
The common
trend for Pakistani children is to learn to read what is termed as Nazira
Quran. In this method, children are made to read the Quran mostly with their
native accent and articulation of words as they occur in Urdu. However, this
method does not do justice because the pronunciation and vocalisation of Arabic
letters is different from Urdu letters.
Thus
children are made to read the Quran as if it were an Urdu text. This has
profound ramifications, because if Arabic letters are wrongly pronounced, then
the meaning behind them changes. The need therefore is to introduce tajweed, or
the rules of elocution of the Arabic text of the Quran by which letters and words
are pronounced in the Arabic standard.
This is
important to maintain originality and prevent distortions. For example, wrongly
pronouncing the word ‘thameena’ as ‘sameena’ with the letter ‘seen’ instead of
the letter ‘thaa’, completely changes the meaning. Beginning with ‘thaa’, the
word means ‘a precious female’, while pronouncing it with the letter ‘seen’ the
meaning is very different.
Thus we can
note why proper rules of tajweed are important and why we should not recite the
Quran with a native accent and phonetics. Hassan feels that tajweed should be
made a compulsory subject in schools and we need to produce competent teachers
for the purpose. Even adults, who may not have had an opportunity to learn how
to read the Quran at a young age, can learn tajweed within a year’s time.
Most
importantly, we need to bear in mind that listening to the sound of the Quran
is not a ceremonial affair only but is enjoined as a commandment within the
Islamic scripture itself: “When the Quran is read listen to it with attention
and hold your peace: that ye may receive Mercy” (7:204).
https://www.dawn.com/news/1613355/art-of-recitation
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Narrative
of Forgiveness
By Dr
Ramesh Kumar Vankwani
March 19,
2021
Forgiveness
has been given special significance in the teachings of every religion.
According to the Holy Quran, Allah is the One who accepts the repentance of
people and forgives their sins.
Forgiveness
is the most important spiritual virtue in Hindu Dharma too. According to Hindu
Dharma, a person who does not know how to forgive carries a heavy baggage of
bitter memories of the past in his/her mind and destroys his/her own life and
the lives of others due to negative feelings of anger, revenge and depression.
Similarly, the Bible emphasizes forgiving the sins of other people.
Today’s
South Africa is one of the most developed countries in the world, but three
decades ago racial discrimination was rampant there. In such critical
circumstances, the great Nelson Mandela succeeded his tireless peaceful
struggle against racism. Mandela used to say that great people are never afraid
to forgive for a noble purpose. The 16th president of the US, Abraham Lincoln,
also advised to end enmity by making an enemy a friend.
I used to
express my stance at every forum that the teachings of all religions and the
lives of legendary leaders should be followed in letter and spirit for
achieving peace in our society. When the Samadhi of Shri Param Hans Ji Maharaj,
located in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was demolished by some extremist
elements, I raised my voice against this oppression. My stance in this noble
struggle was widely endorsed by the Supreme Court, media, civil society and
government circles. Eventually, I received an invitation from the chief
minister of KP, Mahmood Khan, to attend the jirga to resolve the conflict
amicably.
On the
occasion, all religious scholars condemned the tragic incident while assuring
the restoration of the holy place. The participants also reiterated their
commitment to cooperate in preventing such incidents in the future. The
elements responsible for the illegal occupation of the Samadhi in 1997 and
later carrying out the attack on the shrine last year, apologized for their
deeds in front of everyone. The honourable scholars also assured that rights to
the non-Muslim community under Islamic teachings and the constitution of
Pakistan would be ensured.
The
provincial government team, headed by the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
deserves congratulations for realizing our religious sentiments, ensuring the
best arrangements for the jirga and opening the door of dialogue for mutual
understanding. Being the head of the Pakistan Hindu Council, I decided to
demonstrate the holy virtue of forgiveness. In my view, arrogance is a negative
attribute whereas good people always show high morals at every stage of life.
We must understand that God forgives the greatest mistake of His followers.
Therefore, those who admit wrongdoing should also be forgiven.
I believe
that the actual purpose of pardoning someone is to provide them another
opportunity to be a good person, but those who spread mischief again must be
dealt strictly. I am quite hopeful that such gestures of forgiveness and
goodwill will promote religious harmony and tolerance in our beloved country.
Similarly, Hindu teacher Notanlal from Ghotki who has been arrested on false
charges of blasphemy must also be freed.
Unfortunately,
our political situation promotes intolerance and negativity. The opposition
parties are active on all fronts, including the Senate, to give the government
a tough time. On the other hand, the government is of the view that the
opposition alliance PDM is in turmoil due to internal differences. I consider
this my national duty to appeal to all political parties to spread a culture of
forgiveness and tolerance in the wider national interest of Pakistan. A joint
parliamentary committee consisting of senior representatives of all political
parties should be formed to formulate national policies for the betterment of
Pakistan.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/806366-narrative-of-forgiveness
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Afghanistan
— May 1 and Moonshot
By
Aneela Shahzad
March 19,
2021
After 20
years of constant occupation and taking all Afghan affairs in their own hands,
the chief of the United States administration, Joe Biden, has come up with the
‘moonshot’ strategy for Afghanistan — basically an idea of finding extremely
radical solutions to huge, seemingly impossible problems.
But how did
giving back their freedom to a people and letting them live their own lives
with their own self-determination and with sovereign control on their own land
and resources become such a pie in the sky for the US that requires moonshots
to resolve?
Two decades
ago, the US came parading over the country and arrogantly assured that they,
the beholders of civilisation, were to deliver the bliss of ‘democracy’ and
‘progress’ to the uncivilised Afghans. But instead, they trampled the lives and
dreams of millions beneath their boots, have delivered nothing but the promise
of chaos and ‘spiraling violence’ for the Afghan future as they, for
themselves, look for a ‘dignified departure’.
But there
is another reason why Biden equated the new US strategy for Afghanistan as a
moonshot strategy — an unprecedented solution for an impossible problem. The
reason was that because the Doha peace process was not yielding anything the US
liked, they thought of moving the whole process to a different platform, the
UN, so that things could be restarted with a different angle.
The schema
of the Doha process had become dominated with the Taliban narrative based on a
complete withdrawal of US and NATO forces from the Afghan soil. The US was
simply finding itself in a compliant position, eventually agreeing to a
complete withdrawal by May 1, 2021. The downside of the Doha process was that
along with being able to corner the US in the talks, the Taliban categorically
refused to negotiate with the Kabul regime or even let them have a presence in
Doha, nor did they allow Indian presence in the process.
Russia, on
the other hand, has been involved in the Afghan peace process since 2014, when
the withdrawals began. The Russian process has also been dominated by the
Taliban, and here, there have been face-to-face talks with several Afghan
factions, excluding the regime itself. The mood in Russia has been that Russia,
China, Iran and Pakistan should act as guarantors of fulfilling the agreements,
and here again, India’s relevance as a part of the process in any manner was
denied.
So now, in
moonshot, Blinken has sent a letter to Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah,
saying “a regional conference under the UN auspices with foreign ministers of
the US, India, Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran to discuss a ‘unified approach’
on Afghanistan” will be scheduled. The conference will first redraw a “roadmap
to a new, inclusive government”, share it with the Taliban; then ask Turkey to
host a meeting with the Afghan government in Kabul and the Taliban; and as a
result, impose a “90-day reduction in violence” plan on the Taliban, basically
to avoid the Taliban Spring Offensive.
The
question is: what will be in this new roadmap that has not come up in the peace
talks of the last several years? What seems to be new are all the things that
the Taliban wanted to be kept out, and it is truly a moonshot to think that the
Taliban would happily accept this new approach, however sugar-coated it may be.
‘Reduction
in violence’ is especially a thorny demand on the Taliban, who have resisted
the world’s biggest military alliance with their small arms for two decades. In
2001, when the Taliban were in power in Kabul, the US-NATO alliance did not
give the Taliban a cushion for negotiations before they launched their
‘violent’ offensive on the already war-trodden nation. On October 7, 2001,
Bush, after ordering an attack on Afghanistan, said to the American people,
“Two weeks ago, I gave Taliban leaders a series of clear and specific demands.
Close terrorist training camps, hand over leaders of the Al Qaeda network… none
of these demands were met. And now the Taliban will pay a price.” How then are
the Taliban expected to forsake their deterrence that they have built with
their blood in the long 20 years of being brutely occupied by foreigners and to
give their oppressors a full three-month cushion?
In fact,
Blinken made another vilification of the Taliban and the Afghan self-esteem in
general when he added to his letter a sharp comment, “As you and your
countrymen know all too well, disunity on the part of Afghan leaders proved
disastrous in the early 1990s and must not be allowed to sabotage the
opportunity before us.” Now this clearly points to failure of the Mujahideen
factions to form a united government in Kabul at that time, and the coming to
power of the Taliban. The question now is: is Blinken reminding the factions
that they were not civilised enough at that time to be able to form a
government, or is he labeling the Taliban government as the ‘disaster’? Either
way, Blinken has made a bad precedence.
Anyways,
there is also talk of a transitional government and the idea is quite dreadful
if we consider the very recent example of the 10-year-long transitional period
in Libya. The frail UN presence in Tripoli for a decade showed the world how
incapable the UN is in resolving matters around the world. With the UN-backed
Al Sarraj handing over power to a new Tobruk-backed transitional government
this week, one bethinks if the UN had any role there but to prolong the state
of chaos.
And this
also shows how Turkey and Russia took over the Libyan stage, played on both
sides and created a peace process of their own leading. The same may be
repeating in Afghanistan, but the question is, will Russia and Turkey be able
to return power to the real ‘people’ in either Libya or Afghanistan, or will
they be pursuing their own newly-found interests in these two arenas, now that
they see their increasing influence in these countries.
It is the
Afghan people and the Taliban who will have to ensure their own sovereignty,
and that foreign elements, both friends and foes, do not infringe upon them
unduly.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2290169/afghanistan-may-1-and-moonshot
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Finding
Peace In and Around Afghanistan
By
Shahzad Chaudhry
March 19,
2021
Numerous geopolitical
developments and initiatives of the last few weeks beckon attention. Most are
driven by the United States’ latest national security estimate which places
China at the head of American concerns. China is expected to overtake the US as
the largest economy of the world in the next decade or so even as it rapidly
transforms its military in both capacity and capability with muscle to defend
its interests and secure its gains around the globe. Combined, China’s
footprint will expand even further as it enhances her perimeter of security and
its regions of influence and her interest expand. Its Belt and Road (BRI) and
Silk-Route initiatives are a case in point. Even as US increases its focus on
China and extricates itself from trouble-spots where it found itself stuck over
decades, it hopes to elicit China’s support on facing three major challenges to
humanity — climate change, pandemics and technology disruptions — to ease
humanity through what shall define the new human age.
‘Pivot to
the East’ meant focusing on China and its rapid development to a point where it
challenged America’s exclusivity. To that end two major disengagements were in
order. The Middle East was quite much left to its fate under Trump who clearly
suggested that the US had little to do with a civilisation where enmities ran
into a thousand years. Trump then followed up with the biggest geopolitical
coup of the century by influencing some conservative Arab states into
recognising Israel and initiating diplomatic relations between them. Israel
will in due course find its anchor in the region for a more persistent presence
on the edge of the Persian Gulf just across Iran and project its power with
consequent effects. Also, Israel’s politico-military orientation has been
changed from Europe to the Middle East by including it in the CENTCOM area of
operation as a key US ally. Over time, in coordination with its new cohorts, it
shall replace the US as a minder of its own and key US interest. The US will
then be free to move east.
The second disengagement
that the US seeks is in Afghanistan. The US has been stuck there for the last
40 years with little to show for. The Afghan war reduced to an unnecessary war
as the US looks to opt out without affixing another Vietnam-like ignominy to
its name. That is possible if warring factions find some political
accommodation. The Doha dialogue is meant to enable exactly that with which
Pakistan has handily assisted. A letter by the US Secretary of State to the
Afghan President lays it out for him to work out an understanding with the
Afghan Taliban to give political stability a fighting chance. Apprehensions
exist if Ashraf Ghani is unreservedly committed to the idea of peace through
power-sharing between the stakeholders. That alone will enable the social and
political equilibrium in Afghan society leading to stability. It is widely
understood that perpetuating strife helps Ghani hold onto power.
Both India
and Pakistan make the region in which Afghanistan exists and both have had
roles to play in this 40-year war in Afghanistan. Pakistan from the word ‘go’
was an active if indirect participant because of its contiguity especially when
the USSR invaded Afghanistan. She became Afghanistan’s strategic depth as
millions arrived as refugees. Pakistan also helped Afghans throw the Soviets
out after the latter’s 10-year occupation of Afghanistan. Following 9/11, the
US needed an express entry into Afghanistan which Pakistan enabled. This phase
of the Afghan war found Pakistan not only enabling a war against terror but
fighting one kinetically as malignance of the war in the neighbourhood
overflowed into Pakistan. India, the distant neighbour and a proximate state
which has had its own set of problems with Pakistan was mostly the spoiler,
either complicating Pakistan’s efforts at successfully finishing terror off or
in inciting anger and reaction within Afghanistan against Pakistan by framing
it for supporting the Taliban. She has also found it opportune to meddle in
Pakistan using Afghan soil for as long as the strife has persisted. This has
only encouraged India to play its demonic role in scuttling every effort
towards finding peace. It was thus important that the two, India and Pakistan,
first found accommodation between them before they could fully contribute to a
search for peace in Afghanistan.
We, thus,
see signs of a rapprochement ‘on order’ between India and Pakistan. In one of
my earlier pieces on the subject I had outlined factors which would
intrinsically encourage both India and Pakistan to ease things between them
from the near-war hype driving their relations. More so India which had kept a
very hawkish approach towards Pakistan or on any thought of a possible dialogue
between the two. Not now. The two DGMOs spoke, not out of the blue for sure;
and the two sides are meant to reconnect on the Indus Waters soon after a
prolonged absence from what is meant to be a biannual meet up. Following the
thaw Tony Blinken called Moscow to convene a meeting of the five regional
nations including Russia, Iran, China, India and Pakistan to assume
responsibility as a group to oversee the process of peace and its
implementation in Afghanistan. The US has invited itself to the meeting as the
key mediator to forging this combined responsibility. India has thus found a
backdoor entry to the table from which it had been distanced earlier. Whether
this was suitably premised on a seeming rapprochement between the two, only
time will tell.
If the
group can play even a cursory role in seeming to oversee some sort of peace may
be enough cover for the US to exit. Others can then grapple with what is left
behind; malign or propitious. If the recent eminence to Quad by Biden and Co
will alleviate some Indian concerns about their imagined import it may help
ameliorate some of India’s inherent angst in regional interactions and may just
tone the rhetoric and animosity down a few decibels against Pakistan. It
remains a composite approach by the US to appease tensions in and around
Afghanistan while it transfers focus to China and the East. That is America’s
new approach to Asia and the Middle East. If it also subsumes what has been a
lingering conflict-in-waiting between India and Pakistan so much the better.
Perhaps the two peoples can breathe easy while hoping that the imposed
behavioural change will lead to fulfilling South Asia’s promise. Pakistan too
has begun to rhyme in the essence of economic security as the more critical
component of national security. Perhaps next one would see easing off trade
restrictions between the two neighbours.
When may
India plug into CPEC though is not only ambitious but will clash with the
objectives of the Quad and the newer responsibilities the US will assign India
with. For the moment, US will bolster India’s confidence with some military
offerings to ease away some of her apprehensions. A more secure India will make
a less belligerent India in an environment where coexistence is the order.
Afghanistan may too then find peace giving US the opportunity to pivot. Nothing
is unrelated.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2290167/finding-peace-in-and-around-afghanistan
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