Ashraf Ghani is not wrong in blaming Pakistan
That the new Government in Kabul would eventually see through Pakistan's game in trying to destabilise Afghanistan through terror attacks, was to be expected. What has taken many by surprise is the vehemence with which Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has attacked Pakistan. He spoke of a war being declared from Pakistan against his country, and demanded to know what was being done by Islamabad to tackle extremist groups and training camps that have targeted Afghanistan. He is unlikely to get clear answers, and the response he will receive will be perfunctory and one of denials.
It is similar to the script being played out with regard to India as well. Islamabad has never conceded that its state and non-state actors are behind the many terror strikes against this country. It has, instead, blamed New Delhi for levelling false allegations. That nobody, including much of the world, believes Pakistan on its claim, does not seem to have deterred Islamabad — and the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence — from continuing with its destructive policies against its neighbours. Pakistan had had a golden chance to win over Kabul's confidence after the exit of Mr Hamid Karzai as the Afghan President. Mr Karzai never minced words in blaming Pakistan for terror in his country — and he had sound reasons to do so.
Mr Ghani had struck a conciliatory note, and it had seemed that both Pakistan and Afghanistan would work together to establish peace in the region — something that India would have welcomed. The idea was that, by reaching out to Pakistan, Mr Ghani would be able to persuade it to get the Taliban on the dialogue table and broker long-term peace in the region.
But the militant groups, operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan and having the tacit support of influential elements in the Pakistani establishment, have demonstrated their determination to proceed with their violent methods. The August 7 attacks in Kabul which claimed more than 60 lives and another assault a few days later, in which five people lost their lives, prompted Mr Ghani to lash out at Pakistan. It is clear that the new regime in Kabul is running out of patience. It seems that Mr Ghani has begun to understand and appreciate his predecessor's tough stand on Islamabad.
While the renewal of distrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan is bad for the region, it provides an opportunity for New Delhi to strengthen its own relations with Kabul. India has for long been involved in a slew of development activities in that country, and has naturally been wary of any deal that would see the rise of the Taliban. But Mr Ghani's outburst must not propel New Delhi to fish in troubled waters. It must steadfastly continue with its infrastructure development agenda and build deeper diplomatic ties. It should keep a safe distance from Afghanistan's internal and foreign policy politics. There is too much of goodwill for India there to be frittered away. let's keep it simple, then.