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Only together can Afghanistan and Pakistan Achieve their full potential
Since i joined Pashtunforum i see that it is becoming more and more Anti-Pakistan forum, without any rational thought process on the matter at hand. It is becoming like ex-girlfriends club where all the members talk about how they got screwed by Pakistan. We have to consider the following points rationally, with a mindset to move forward for the betterment of all the people on both side of the borders and not live in the past.
Geographic Location: More than half of the international border of Afghanistan is shared with Pakistan, creating many trade routes and points of access. Pakistan is a huge potential market of more than 200 million customers for Afghanistan and 30 million potential customers in Afghanistan for Pakistan. We all should agree that economics is the true/real focus of the modern world. Furthermore, Afghanistan can also give access to Central Asian markets to Pakistani companies. Just allowing transportation to go through ones country creates economic activity.
The most direct access to ocean for Afghanistan is through Pakistan.
It should be realized that India doesn't share border with Afghanistan, it has many problems of its own, it only helps Afghanistan to spite Pakistan and, if we monetize all the benefits of having good relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghanistan can gain much more economically from Pakistan than India.
Culture: Pakistan and Afghanistan shares alot of cultural characters and history. I dont want to give you a history lesson but a little study of history of this region would show how intertwined our history is. However, some among us have to get off the high horse, be humble and wake up to the new reality. These "some" are present on both sides of the border. We have to realize that no body is better than the other person. Our prophet wanted us to judge people based on their Taqwa and faith, while MLK (not in anyway comparable to our prophet) wanted to judge people based on their character. A poor man in a village trying to make a living for his family doesn't really care which ethnic group is better!!
Religion: See both our countries are overwhelmingly Sunni and following similar theology and scholarly scriptures, which is one reason why both have been unable to have very open relationship with Iran. One can argue (not me) about futility and pointlessness of religion, however, that is what majority of our people follow and it has permeated our culture and has become part our moral code & character.
Islamically, aswell, some of the predication of the incidents before day of judgement such as Ghazwa e Hind and Armies of khurasan also shows the region where these two countries exist work in tandem with each other. Plus, Allama Iqbal in his poetry consistently wanted Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together.
Following, in my opinion, are some of the abating factors for betterment of our relationship:
Living in the past: Afghanistan constantly thinks that they were done super wrong by Pakistan and completely discounts what good Pakistan did for them. See in Iran refugees were kept in refugee camps while Pakistan allowed them to travel and even do businesses in Pakistan. I am not saying that Pakistan is all saint, but till Afghanistan doesn't stop living in the past it can not move forward. Economic gain from Afghan war to Pakistan is exaggerated at heavenly levels. Blame your faults on others only results in not fix ones house and results in stagnation. Pakistan is in the best position to help Afghanistan economically and politically, but Afghanistan has to distance itself from India to gain Pakistan's confidence and Pakistan has to have more balanced approach towards all religious and ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
Pashtunistan: This may dismay some people, but believe it or not most Pakistani Pashtuns are not really into Pashtunistan idea. Contrary to what many Afghanistani pashtuns believe we are not third class citizens and we have representations in all the sectors of the economy and bureaucracy, imaginable. Yes, more work needs to be done for official status of languages in Pakistan (Punjabi is not official language either, however, i believe, punjabies dont understand the importance of language as other people within Pakistan and outside know). There are atleast 40 million Pashto speaking pashtuns in Pakistan, as per census 2017, which is more than twice their number in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, its not which ethnic background you are from but how much money you have. Ismailis, Qadianis, Memoons are much lesser in number, but they can exert alot of influence.
So Afghanistan has to give up on this idea of pashtunistan, and both side have to work together for a day when we are developed enough that borders are just an imaginary line on the ground, like some countries in Europe. Know that Pakistan can never have that level of comfort with India or Iran that it can potentially have with Afghanistan and vice versa.
Indian factor: Indians can not uplift their own people, look at the most recent world bank economic indicators, let alone Afghanistan. They are just using Afghanistan against Pakistan.
Treatment of Afghanistan: Pakistan needs to treat Afghanistan as a sovereign, mature country and should stop using Afghanistan like its backyard. Pakistan cannt pick sides within Afghanistan, but be just and fair. Pakistan has to come up with confidence building measures similarly Afghanistan and its leaders should reciprocate and should abstain from blaming Pakistan for all their issues.
Based on the above, i believe that Afghanistan and Pakistan are natural allies and we need to wake up. (yuuñ to sayyad bhī ho mirzā bhī ho afġhān bhī ho. tum sabhī kuchh ho batāo musalmān bhī ho, Allama Iqbal)
Geographic Location: More than half of the international border of Afghanistan is shared with Pakistan, creating many trade routes and points of access. Pakistan is a huge potential market of more than 200 million customers for Afghanistan and 30 million potential customers in Afghanistan for Pakistan. We all should agree that economics is the true/real focus of the modern world. Furthermore, Afghanistan can also give access to Central Asian markets to Pakistani companies. Just allowing transportation to go through ones country creates economic activity.
The most direct access to ocean for Afghanistan is through Pakistan.
It should be realized that India doesn't share border with Afghanistan, it has many problems of its own, it only helps Afghanistan to spite Pakistan and, if we monetize all the benefits of having good relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghanistan can gain much more economically from Pakistan than India.
Culture: Pakistan and Afghanistan shares alot of cultural characters and history. I dont want to give you a history lesson but a little study of history of this region would show how intertwined our history is. However, some among us have to get off the high horse, be humble and wake up to the new reality. These "some" are present on both sides of the border. We have to realize that no body is better than the other person. Our prophet wanted us to judge people based on their Taqwa and faith, while MLK (not in anyway comparable to our prophet) wanted to judge people based on their character. A poor man in a village trying to make a living for his family doesn't really care which ethnic group is better!!
Religion: See both our countries are overwhelmingly Sunni and following similar theology and scholarly scriptures, which is one reason why both have been unable to have very open relationship with Iran. One can argue (not me) about futility and pointlessness of religion, however, that is what majority of our people follow and it has permeated our culture and has become part our moral code & character.
Islamically, aswell, some of the predication of the incidents before day of judgement such as Ghazwa e Hind and Armies of khurasan also shows the region where these two countries exist work in tandem with each other. Plus, Allama Iqbal in his poetry consistently wanted Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together.
Following, in my opinion, are some of the abating factors for betterment of our relationship:
Living in the past: Afghanistan constantly thinks that they were done super wrong by Pakistan and completely discounts what good Pakistan did for them. See in Iran refugees were kept in refugee camps while Pakistan allowed them to travel and even do businesses in Pakistan. I am not saying that Pakistan is all saint, but till Afghanistan doesn't stop living in the past it can not move forward. Economic gain from Afghan war to Pakistan is exaggerated at heavenly levels. Blame your faults on others only results in not fix ones house and results in stagnation. Pakistan is in the best position to help Afghanistan economically and politically, but Afghanistan has to distance itself from India to gain Pakistan's confidence and Pakistan has to have more balanced approach towards all religious and ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
Pashtunistan: This may dismay some people, but believe it or not most Pakistani Pashtuns are not really into Pashtunistan idea. Contrary to what many Afghanistani pashtuns believe we are not third class citizens and we have representations in all the sectors of the economy and bureaucracy, imaginable. Yes, more work needs to be done for official status of languages in Pakistan (Punjabi is not official language either, however, i believe, punjabies dont understand the importance of language as other people within Pakistan and outside know). There are atleast 40 million Pashto speaking pashtuns in Pakistan, as per census 2017, which is more than twice their number in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, its not which ethnic background you are from but how much money you have. Ismailis, Qadianis, Memoons are much lesser in number, but they can exert alot of influence.
So Afghanistan has to give up on this idea of pashtunistan, and both side have to work together for a day when we are developed enough that borders are just an imaginary line on the ground, like some countries in Europe. Know that Pakistan can never have that level of comfort with India or Iran that it can potentially have with Afghanistan and vice versa.
Indian factor: Indians can not uplift their own people, look at the most recent world bank economic indicators, let alone Afghanistan. They are just using Afghanistan against Pakistan.
Treatment of Afghanistan: Pakistan needs to treat Afghanistan as a sovereign, mature country and should stop using Afghanistan like its backyard. Pakistan cannt pick sides within Afghanistan, but be just and fair. Pakistan has to come up with confidence building measures similarly Afghanistan and its leaders should reciprocate and should abstain from blaming Pakistan for all their issues.
Based on the above, i believe that Afghanistan and Pakistan are natural allies and we need to wake up. (yuuñ to sayyad bhī ho mirzā bhī ho afġhān bhī ho. tum sabhī kuchh ho batāo musalmān bhī ho, Allama Iqbal)
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