Shamim Shahid
PESHAWAR: This is not a hostile critique, but a heartfelt appeal from an Afghan who spent nearly three decades living in Pakistan, someone who has experienced the generosity of its people and understands the complexity of its society. It is a sincere, fraternal, and deeply felt expression of disappointment, one that echoes across Afghan society, especially among its younger generation.
For over fifty years, every major political transition in Kabul has been projected negatively by Islamabad through the narrow lens of a self-imposed and consistently failed strategy. This view, marked by suspicion and anxiety, has treated a sovereign Afghanistan as an inherent threat to Pakistan’s stability. Yet this perception is fundamentally flawed. It has contributed directly to the rise of anti-Pakistan sentiment within Afghan society and has undermined any prospect of genuine partnership between the two nations.
From President Mohammad Daoud’s rise to power in the 1970s to the Taliban’s return in 2021, all successive Afghan governments have been viewed by Pakistan not as neighboring partners but as potential problems. This mindset, rooted in a self-defined security doctrine that equates an independent Afghanistan with a hostile one, has badly failed politically and morally. It has left behind a legacy of mistrust, alienation, and missed opportunities for cooperation.
A meaningful change must begin with an honest reassessment by Pakistan’s policymakers of their long-standing, failed strategies. Recognizing Afghanistan’s sovereignty should not be seen as a concession, but as a fundamental prerequisite for regional peace and stability. To break the cycle of instability, the region must transcend entrenched distrust, proxy rivalries, and strategic paranoia. Neighbors must learn to coexist not as adversaries locked in a zero-sum rivalry, but as sovereign states with shared interests in peace, stability, and prosperity.
For Pakistan, this requires shedding outdated doctrines of strategic depth and fully embracing Afghan sovereignty without conditions or caveats. For Afghanistan, it means resisting the temptation to mirror Pakistan’s realpolitik and instead committing to a foreign policy rooted in transparency, mutual respect, and regional cooperation. True regional stability will not come from manipulation, but from a sustained investment in dialogue and the recognition that security is collective, not competitive.
Whether world likes it or not, it must come to terms with the fact that Afghanistan is a sovereign country, with the right to define its own foreign policy and choose its allies, including India. Efforts to isolate Kabul or pressure it into subordination will only further deepen regional instability.
Rather than viewing Afghanistan as a perpetual challenge, the world has an opportunity to redefine the relationship, that is grounded in mutual respect, recognition of sovereignty, and constructive cooperation. Such a shift would not only restore bilateral trust but also contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous South Asia. Respecting Afghan sovereignty is not merely a diplomatic courtesy, it is a strategic imperative. Afghanistan’s independence is not a threat to Pakistan. It is, in fact, the cornerstone of regional peace and stability.
