Pak, Taliban on tough turf in Afghanistan

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's decision to send a delegation to Pakistan for prevailing over Islamabad so that its support to the Afghan Taliban stops clearly shows that with the death of Mullah Omar, Pakistan has acquired a new strategic depth in Afghanistan.

In the same vein, Ghani had accused Pakistan of actively supporting the Taliban, which has been creating havoc not only in Kabul but also in other parts of Afghanistan. Reuter reports that an Afghan delegation to Pakistan last week led by Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani demanded "serious and practical measures" from Islamabad over militant attacks it said came from across the border.

Ashraf Ghani has worked in his first year in office to improve ties with measures such as intelligence sharing, but after bombs in Kabul killed dozens this month he furiously blamed Pakistan for "exporting war". "The fight against terrorism must be the top priority for countries in the region, Ghani said in speech to mark Independence Day on Wednesday. "Nobody can force us to accept their demands by threat," he said.

Now the million dollar question is why Pakistan has suddenly done a somersault after brokering peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which abruptly broke up after the news of Mullah Omar's death came out.

The answer perhaps lies in the fact that the installation of Mullah Mohammed Mansour as the new Taliban head has given Islamabad a golden opportunity to extend its reach in Afghanistan as he is known to be extremely close to Pakistan.

It is a fact that the new Taliban chief’s association with Pakistan is neck deep and it is also believed that the ISI monitors his every move. Moreover, right now it is neither possible nor advisable for him to break free from Pakistan's control as he is being directly challenged by a hardened battlefield commander named Abdul Qayyum Zakir, a former inmate of the US prison in Cuba's Guantanamo Bay.

Zakir is tirelessly pushing for Mullah Omar's son Yaqoob and he has a sizable faction of the Taliban behind him. Then why did Pakistan really take the initiative for arranging peace talks? Well, it has to be remembered that Pakistan was not alone in this venture and it had China by its side. The two countries had respective interests behind it.

While China wants to see stability and tranquility in its Uyghur militants-infested northwestern areas that border Afghanistan, Pakistan has been nervously watching the spread of Islamic State (IS) control over large parts of eastern Afghanistan.

It is a fact that many disgruntled factions of the Taliban opposing peace talks have sided with the IS. That the factions loyal to Mansour have suddenly thrown Afghanistan into chaos may be due to an urge to wean away the dissatisfied factions from the IS hold.

However, Pakistan's likely attempt for a firmer foothold in Afghanistan through its proxy Mansour may not fully succeed if Ashraf Ghani really decides to maintain an independent attitude, a trait he has been evincing after a long time.

It is because the Taliban consists of mostly the Pashtuns who are likely to face stiff challenges in the northern parts of Afghanistan where the former Mujahideen warlords still enjoy enormous influence. So, the ground situation in Afghanistan may not be a cakewalk for Pakistan and the Mullah Mansour-controlled Afghan Taliban.

However, Ashraf Ghani may have some anxious moments over the Afghan National Army, whose bottom rung consists of Pashtuns. But here also the commanders are mostly Tajiks, over whom the Mujahideen warlords of the North enjoy influence.

By Amitava Mukherjee