The Tragedy of Ungrateful Nations

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the Afghan occupying regime has admitted in front of me to the presence of terrorists; the Afghan Taliban issue threats while also talking about negotiations. The Afghan Taliban who threatens while speaking of negotiations should first act on their threats, and only then can talks take place. In his interviews Khawaja Asif said that if an attack comes from any country, the right to respond is obtained. The Defense Minister clarified that Afghanistan’s soil is a sanctuary for various terrorist groups; we destroyed not the civilian population but only the terrorists’ safe havens. Responsibility for protecting the borders lies with the federation, not the provinces; the matter of the repatriation of Afghan refugees is federal — the federation will decide it.

Khawaja Asif said that anyone who thinks they can hide somewhere and not be detected is mistaken — this is the modern age, even people hiding underground are detected. The Minister of Defense said that whoever stains their hands with the blood of our Pakistanis, we will not spare them; they will in no circumstances be forgiven — now it will be tit for tat. He said it cannot be that our people are martyred and we remain silent. He added that we do not want tensions to increase or further damage to occur; we want those sitting in Afghanistan to consider what benefit this war will bring them. If they think Pakistan will become unstable, that will not be possible. He said that at the moment Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan are strained and there is no contact; clashes could recur — the possibility cannot be ruled out.

The Afghans have never provided proof of being well‑wishers of Pakistan, even though those who came to power owe Pakistan for their rise; yet the Taliban preferred to become instruments of India instead of establishing friendly relations with Pakistan. In this context, when Ajit Doval was head of RAW a video statement surfaced in which he said we could buy the Taliban for a good price — and perhaps the Taliban were waiting for that payment. As a result of that price, the Taliban’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, during his visit to India, declared Jammu & Kashmir to be part of India, and immediately afterwards, by shelling, attacked Pakistan, thereby proving that India had paid the right price.

Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that the proscribed TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) has safe havens in Afghanistan. Afghanistan, however, has denied these allegations. In recent days Afghan officials also claimed that Pakistan carried out an attack in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied any such attack.

History the world over has repeatedly shown that ungrateful nations never truly reciprocate friendship and kindness. Such nations are not scented with the fragrance of loyalty but only with the odor of self‑interest. The same is true of Afghanistan and its rulers, who for the past seven decades have consistently done injustice and treachery in their relations with Pakistan.

Afghanistan is a country on whose soil many global powers have played their games for their own interests, yet the persistent disloyalty of its rulers has always made our relationship a tense issue. Pakistan has always respected Afghanistan’s sovereignty, aided it, and taken the lead in establishing peace in the region. But unfortunately internal political ups and downs in Afghanistan, external interventions, and the shortsightedness of its rulers have affected this friendship.

Hateful statements by Afghan rulers against Pakistan, border disputes, and support for terrorism have repeatedly damaged this relationship. That nation which is our neighbor, with whom we share thousands of years of cultural and historical proximity, has in return inflicted harm rather than good upon us. The fact that the sacrifices made in our homeland for peace were not valued forces us to ask whether friendship is really based only on interest — or whether this tragedy of ingratitude can ever end.

Pakistan should show strategic wisdom in its foreign policy: where necessary, improve relations through diplomacy, but in no circumstance compromise on its interests and security principles. Afghan rulers too should understand this relationship and change their policies so that the peoples of both countries can live prosperous and peaceful lives. In conclusion it is fair to say that history testifies that friendships with ungrateful nations have usually resulted in deception and harm, and we must always remain vigilant to protect our national interests.