Joint Peace Endeavours to Benefit all Stakeholders
Media Coverage | June 08, 2011
In an interview with the BBC in Urdu, EWI Senior Fellow Najam Abbas discusses the instability of the Afghan-Pakistani border. Whenever international troops exit from Afghanistan, he says, the need for peace and stability will never be more important.
Abbas believes that a stable relationship between India and Pakistan – one that up till now has been governed by fear and insecurity – is the key to stabilizing Pakistan’s western border and managing the crisis in Afghanistan. If peaceful, the relationship between India and Pakistan has the ability to greatly bolster regional security.
In order to reduce threat levels, Abbas believes that India should announce a plan to implement confidence building measures along its eastern border with Pakistan. The possible success of such measures might then encourage Pakistan to improve security along its western border with Afghanistan.
Since India’s economy is one of the fastest growing in the world, that country needs to make a genuine investment in regional stability. Eventually, Pakistan will be able to open the doors to regional trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia, as well as help India meet its growing energy needs with exports from Iran and Turkmenistan, but this change must start with India.
To achieve peace in this region, Abbas maintains, Afghanistan’s neighbors must transform themselves from belligerent enemies to benevolent partners. The result, he concludes, would be a win-win situation for everyone.