Wishful thinking about Afghanistan and Pakistan

Letter in Vancouver Sun

Published: Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Canada’s defence minister, Peter MacKay, both made unrealizable statements on the weekend — Karzai in threatening to retaliate against incursions into his country from Pakistan, MacKay by suggesting there is a possibility of a diplomatic solution to the dispute.

The Afghan National Army is a creation of the United States and other countries whose presence in Afghanistan keeps Karzai in office. The threat of Afghan army units carrying out retaliatory attacks on Pakistan without support is just that, a threat incapable of being effectively acted on. MacKay’s “diplomatic solution” is even more improbable. Although Afghan army units could cross into Pakistan, should Karzai be foolish enough to send them, Canada has no way of negotiating an end to the incursions.

Pakistan’s tribal territories have never been effectively under government control. The Pashtuns don’t recognize the Durand line, drawn by foreigners in 1893, as dividing them into 25 million Afghans and 15 million Pakistanis.

Canada would be better served if MacKay sought to convince the Americans that their continuing violation of Pakistan by air attacks is counterproductive. As Eric Margolis has written, “Widening the Afghan War into Pakistan is military stupidity on a grand scale, and political madness.”

Joe Hueglin