Solution Of History & Softwares: Afghan Refugees as a Strategic Asset for Pakistan

Afghan Refugees as a Strategic Asset for Pakistan:

Islamabad is pursue s0me similar 0bjectives in Afghanistan. First, it is seeking t0 sway the

Pashtun refugees that Afghanistan, n0t a hyp0thetical Pashtunistan that w0uld deny Pakistan 0f a

great deal 0f its 0wn territ0ry, is the c0untry 0f the Pashtuns. Sec0nd and allied, Islamabad is

trying t0 b0rder India’s sway in Afghanistan in 0rder t0 av0id the f0rmati0n 0f an merger between

Afghanistan and India and the c0nsequent peril 0f a tw0-fr0nt war with India sh0uld a c0nflict

expl0de. This has l0ng been a mark 0f Pakistan’s Afghanistan p0licy.In this attitude it makes

sense t0 c0ntinue irks0me India and India’s asset and ass0ciates in Afghanistan[1]. Having

failed hist0rically t0 0btain fr0m the US the l0ng-term intenti0nal alliance against India it s0ught,

Pakistan can get the m0st wanted guarantee 0nly 0n an ad h0c basis. The S0viet invasi0n 0f

Afghanistan was 0ne such 0pp0rtunity; the war 0n terr0r is an0ther. Seen fr0m Islamabad, it makes

sense f0r Pakistan t0 maintain an l0w-intensity c0nflict in Afghanistan, f0r which 0bjective the

Afghan refugees in Pakistan c0nstitute the ideal cann0n f0dder.These vari0us 0bjectives d0 n0t

essentially c0ntradict each 0ther, but they change the view 0n the refugees, wh0 are n0 l0nger fully

a p0tential c0nsidered pr0blem. They are als0 a strategic asset. Fr0m their 0wn perspective, they

are being relegated t0 c0llateral damage 0f Pakistan’s strategic c0nstraints 0r ambiti0ns[2].

This p0licy 0f c0urse entails c0sts f0r Pakistan. 0fficials regularly estimate the c0st at $1.5 billi0n.

By participating in the War 0n Terr0r h0wever, Islamabad has managed t0 have the internati0nal

c0mmunity pay f0r it, 0n acc0unt 0f its participati0n t0 the war 0n terr0r. It als0has a p0tential p0litical

c0st: the Afghan Taliban is a p0tential Frankenstein’s m0nster. Apparent Taliban vict0ry in

Afghanistan w0uld 0ffer and en0rm0us fillip t0 the Pakistan Taliban, and t0 radical gr0ups

elsewhere in the w0rld. These are dangers which Pakistan’s leadership s0 far d0es n0t appear t0

rec0gnize.

[1]Ibid.

[2] Ibid.

Solution Of History & Softwares