A Comparative Portrait of Afghanistan and Pakistan
On a daily basis information and analysis are printed and broadcast about the War on Terror, especially involving issues in the states of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
But it is Afghans and Pakistanis who can provide the best analysis of their countries.
What is the history of Afghanistan and Pakistan?
The written history of Afghanistan involves 6,000 years and a bright, progressive, peaceful civilization of Zartushts and Buddhism. Balkh and Bamyan drew people from across the world, in the way major universities like Oxford or Harvard do today.
From such origins, Afghanistan evolved through the ages as a significant bastion of civilization.
In contrast, no one knew the name of Pakistan before August 14, 1947, an unnatural state separated from India by the British. Pakistan was named with a religious slogan, a country built for Muslims. Included in Pakistan were 145,000 square kilometers of Afghan territory involving the Durand Line – an 1893 demarcation from the time of the British invasion of Afghanistan. The area is rich in natural resources, mountains, jungle and hydroelectricity, aiding agriculture and industry in Pakistan.
These matters of history and also of current affairs indicate how Kabul and Islamabad have been main rivals in the current War on Terror. Islamabad tries to produce terrorism, creating new forms of weapons of mass destruction, to retain power over her neighbor. A prime example was the matter of Osama Bin Laden — who was found, at long last, near Islamabad, the most important nest of terrorists from around the world. Pakistan is not using terrorism for the purposes of Islam but for political and geopolitical purposes. Islamabad think tanks refer to Afghanistan in terms of Pakistan's strategic depth, whatever the results for Afghans.
What will be the future of Afghanistan and Pakistan?
Afghanistan is on the track of democracy, social justice, peace and stability. Pakistan remains an unnatural state, a cage of oppressed Afghans in the “Pashtoon Belt” just explained. The Balochs, Sindhis, and Siraikis remain run by army dictators, directly and indirectly, that apply a formula of might is right. Unless Pakistan changes herself into a peaceful country, there are chances of disintegration. The world will not let her interfere in Afghanistan or affect the peace and security of anywhere else.
*PolicyMic thanks Pundit Susan Kraykowski for generously helping edit this article, the first article from a Pundit in Pakistan.
Photo Credit: isafmedia
