Pakistan seeks greater Afghan role: the Daily Times, July 21

ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai needs Pakistan’s help to convince some Taliban factions to end their insurgency, a central plank of his peace strategy, but doubts remain about Islamabad’s motives and ability to deliver.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are both seeking to encourage some elements of the Taliban to reconcile with the Afghan government by renouncing al Qaeda, laying down their arms and taking part in the Afghan political process.

“Pakistan wants to help Afghanistan,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said at a dinner in Kabul.

“It is for them to decide what they want to do. We want to help them as good neighbours because we feel that a stable, peaceful, prosperous Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest,” he said.

Crucial to Islamabad’s efforts will be the attitude of the Haqqani network, which operates on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

But the United States is doubtful one of the most brutal and effective factions of the Taliban insurgency can be persuaded to lay down its weapons and take part in Afghan politics.

“We would strongly advise our friends in Afghanistan to deal with those who are committed to a peaceful future,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday while on a trip to Islamabad.

Influence: Analysts believe Pakistan is holding groups such as the Haqqani network in reserve to maintain influence in Afghanistan after the Americans begin to leave next year and to check the rising presence of its archrival, India, and to a lesser degree Iran.

“Iran and India share the same allies,” said Kamran Bokhari, a security analyst for the private intelligence firm Stratfor, referring to the two countries’ ties to Afghanistan’s varied tribes and ethnic groups.

“Traditionally the Iranians allied with the Tajiks, the Hazaras, the Uzbeks, the same people the Indians have been supporting as well. And they both have an interest in making sure Pakistan doesn’t dominate Afghanistan.” http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010721story_21-7-2010_pg1_9

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