My Response published in washington Times to Imran Khan commentary in Washington Post

The Key to Afghanistan Peace Lies in Pakistan’s Pocketpublishee by Washington Times By Wahab Raofi In a recent article published in The Washington Postunder the headline,“Pakistan is ready to be a partner for peace in Afghanistan,”Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan wrote that his country made a mistake when it chose between warring Afghan factions. Now he says his administration wants to abandon that policy and work with the U.S. to restore peace in Afghanistan. Any kind of gesture of goodwill to put an end to ongoing suffering of Afghan civilians should be embraced. However, this sounds like a broken record. Pakistan has made similar promises in the past without taking any practical steps to support its claims.In fact, Pakistan has partnered with the Taliban in an undeclared war against the Afghan people. Pakistan officials often speak out of both sides of their mouths. They tell the world they want to play a positive role in Afghanistan by bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table with the Afghan government, yet they have shown no signs ofending their support of the Taliban. Taliban leaders enjoy safe haven in Pakistan, their soldiers are treated in Pakistani hospitals, and they are allowed to recruit soldiers from Islamic madrassas in Pakistan, who are then sent to Afghanistan to slaughter Afghan civilians, burn schools, kill journalists, blow up bridges and powerlines, and sap the life out of Afghans. Despite these widely known facts, in a recent interview with Afghan media TOLO news Pakistan foreign minister Hussain Qureshi categorically denied that Taliban leaders live in his country. As I write this, I see no end to the Taliban’s deadlyJihad, despite its signing of an agreement with the U.S. “invaders” who are in the process of completing their troop withdrawal. The Talibanhas no more excuses to kill,and if not for Pakistani support,they wouldn’t even be able to continue fighting Afghan security forces. If they weren’t able to attack and retreat into Pakistan, their reign of terror would already be over. Their Jihad is not a grass-roots movement and lacks the support of citizens.Recently, citizens in many parts of Afghanistan, fed up with the Taliban’s atrocious actions, took up arms to fight alongside security forces to push back the Taliban offensive. Pakistan appears to be cracking down on its own Taliban faction (TTP) while asking the Afghan government to share power with them. If Pakistan wants to convince the Afghan people and the world that they are truly admitting their mistake of choosing sides in Afghanistan, they should put theirwords into action. Instead, the Taliban has intensified its attacks on Afghan security forces, causing civilian casualties and mass internal displacement, and theyshow no signs of letting up. This is only possible because of Pakistan’s support. Taliban leaders continue to take shelter in Pakistan, protected by the country’s security establishment, and they travel to Islamabad for instructions and guidance on how to kill Afghan civilians. Pakistan’s security establishment made a mistake by supporting the Taliban. One obvious reason is that there is no guarantee the nationalist PashtunTaliban would not turn their guns against Pakistan because of the contested Durand Line border with Afghanistan. Moreover, Pakistan’seffort to engulf its western neighbor in constant turmoil to counter its rival India’s influence on its border is not sustainable. If stoking conflictin one’s neighboring country was a better alternative thanpeace, trade and connectivity, every country would have done it. Instead, Pakistan might actually achieve strategic goals in Afghanistan and outsmart India by using its soft power: win the hearts and minds of Afghans by opening borders, trade and connectivity. That’s an answer that might work. Supporting the Taliban is bad policy and only feeds ill will toward Pakistan. Trust, but verify. If Khan is sincere about working with the U.S. to bring peace to Afghanistan, he should order the dismantling of the Taliban’s control and command center in his country, instead of writing a non-binding “promissory note” in the form of an opinion piece in a U.S. newspaper. History shows that Afghanistan can never be controlled from the outside, but the key to peace in Afghanistan rests in Pakistan’s pocket. It’s time to make good on his words, which say, in effect: “In the past, Pakistan was wrong to choose between warring Afghan parties, but we have learned from that experience. We have no favorites and will work with any government that enjoys the confidence of the Afghan people.”