New Delhi: The Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue was held in Kabul on August 20, amidst tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, who have been at loggerheads with each other for quite some time.
The meeting largely focused on the China Economic Corridor Project-II (CPEC), with Beijing wanting Afghanistan to be part of it. However, during the meeting, the Pakistanis had hoped that Beijing might broker peace between them and the Taliban.
Pakistan had raised the issue relating to the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and wanted the Taliban to stop backing the outfit. The TTP has launched an all-out attack against the Pakistan Army, has inflicted severe damage. Pakistan has accused the Taliban of sheltering the TTP and is now seeking Beijing’s intervention to sort out the issue.
The Taliban, however, stood its ground and said that it would not launch an attack on the TTP. It maintained that the TTP was Pakistan’s internal problem and it would not want to be involved in that battle. Pakistan also raised the issue relating to the Balochistan National Army (BLA) and also blamed the Taliban for sheltering it.
The Taliban, however, denied the allegations, but assured Beijing that it would act against the hideouts and camps of the BLA in Afghanistan while also assuring that it would prevent the infiltration bids as well.
For the Chinese, the TTP is not the problem. The TTP’s battle is solely against the Pakistan Army. The BLA, on the other hand, is a headache for Beijing as the group has constantly targeted Chinese investments in Balochistan. In this context, the Taliban would come to the rescue of China and hence even agreed to act against the BLA and not the TTP.
Pakistan would have expected that Beijing would come to the rescue with the Taliban. The Taliban, at one time, was under the mercy of the Pakistanis. This time around, things have changed. Issues such as the Durand Line and the TTP have been major points of contention, and ties have fallen to an all-time low. During the meeting, Pakistan realised that it had very little control over the Taliban, and even Chinese intervention could not get them to change their position on the TTP.
Pakistan has also been desperately trying to increase its influence in Afghanistan by using Chinese backing. Through this, Pakistan had also hoped that it would corner India by enhancing its influence in the region.
Even when the CPEC was first announced, Pakistan felt that it had an upper hand in the region with the backing of mighty China. However, it left Pakistan in debt and is now at the mercy of Beijing. Moreover, the Chinese have on numerous occasions raised concerns about the security of their projects in Pakistan.
The BLA has been on a warpath against Chinese investments in Balochistan, and Pakistan has managed to do little to safeguard Beijing’s interests.
Now with China wanting Afghanistan to be part of the CPEC-II, it is to be seen if the Taliban too falls into a debt trap like Pakistan. China is leaning heavily on the Taliban to sort out the BLA problem it has, but the question is, how far will Kabul go?
The Pakistanis, too, had given security guarantees to China when the CPEC project began, but failed to deliver on their promise. The Taliban has said it would never let its soil be used for terror. Can it deliver on that promise? Only time will tell.
(IANS)
