Afghanistan Peace under the shade of ideological tensions of India and Pakistan

The perceptions of Pakistan and Indian government on the situation in Afghanistan are unrealistic, and this illusion and strict ideological views stems more from the Pakistan's military. the articles which have published in Pakistan's military specialized journal, confirm that the Pakistani military has used Islam as a Pakistan's ideology and the theory of two nations (Hinduism and Islam) to maintain public aspirations, ongoing conflict with India, and dominance of military over internal and external affairs, including Afghanistan. As a sample, the 1992 article of Jagran Qaysar Farooqi with the tittle "The Islamic Concept of Preparedness" is a good example of the concept of constant struggle against India. "If the battle between the believers and the disbelievers, or in other words between the forces of light and darkness, continues, this war must continue until disappears of one faction," he said.

Bari Buzan, a prominent figure in political science, also links the complex situation in the South Asian region to the ideological rivalries between the two nuclear powers region (India and Pakistan). "Whenever the geographical problem between India and Pakistan ends, the rivalry between the two countries, like the Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the United States, will continue until the end of a one-sided change," he said. According to Buzan, the roots of mistrust and inequality between India and Pakistan are variations over the identity of two countries, which India has linked to its survival and interests in the spread of democracy and secularism in the region. "While the philosophy of the existence of Pakistan is religion that does not mix with Indian secularism." Kristin Fier, author of The Battle to the Last BreathBottom, also emphasizes that understanding of Pakistan from India is more ideological rather than security impulses.

However, Islam is a stable part of the strategic culture of Pakistan military, which sees itself as preserver of ideological boundaries in the country, especially in anti-Indian sentiment and influence in Afghanistan. since 1947 and 1960 the military has heavily used Islamists militant to pursue its own interests in India and Afghanistan. According to Kristin Fier, a South Asian researcher, the Pakistan military has been born as an ideological army from the beginning, and Islam is the ideology of this institution, and it always strives to Islam reflects the identity of Pakistani government. Kohen also wrote in 2004 , in order to pursue its strategic interests in the region, especially in Afghanistan, in1960s the military increasingly strengthened its ties with Pakistan ideology, that the main pillar of it, is Islam and endless animosity of India.

After ideological independence, Pakistan has analyzed its policies from the perspective of resisting Hinduism and extending its interests beyond on its borders, by using ideological tools including Afghanistan.

Therefor, the prevailing assumption is that, Pakistan politics are formed on this basis that Hindus and Muslims are incapable to live peacefully together and are eternal enemies. Pakistan relates from its existence, as though it is an Arab country in West Asia, not a South Asian country. Pakistan considers itself as the inheritor of all aggression waves that took place in the Middle Ages from Afghanistan territory to India. with this background, religious forces of Pakistan have a recent look at enmity with India. In this sense, any kind of political and cultural influence of India in Afghanistan, is intolerable for this country. In this regard, the appearance of extremist and Jihadist forces against India in Kashmir and Afghanistan have a strong connection with ideological politics of Pakistan in the region.

Therefor, the issue of peace and stability of Afghanistan, is the strong point of Pakistan in regional battles. At the same time, peace talks between the parties which are involved in the affairs and developments of Afghanistan, are facing a complex situation; But Pakistan officials have formally and unofficially linked the peace in Afghanistan to the Hindu-Muslim ideological conflict and Kashmir issue with India. "I am concerned that India is now carrying out cultural and ethnic cleansing in Kashmir," the Pakistani prime minister said after the repeal of Article 370 of Indian constitution by Indian officials. "They will try to drive out the indigenous and replace the others and put them in the majority, so that the indigenous are nothing but slaves." Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also said; India attack on Pakistan would negatively affect on the peace process of Afghanistan. The statements by Pakistani top officials are a clear indication of Kashmir conflict and its connection to Afghan peace and its dual ideological approach with India in Afghanistan.

Therefore, it can be said that the main reason for the regional war in Afghanistan after 2001 is Pakistan's enmity with India. Pakistan frankly states that we are pursuing our own anti-Indian project in Afghanistan and does not want India to have extensive political and cultural influence in Afghanistan. Pakistan wants to influence in current affairs of Afghanistan, especially in peace process, so that can use Afghanistan against India. Pakistan wants to reduce Afghanistan as a tool in its conflict with India by using extremist groups.

Therefor, we can say, the main source of conflict between India and Pakistan, especially the current issues of Afghanistan, is more due to ideological rivalries than security issues. Pakistan considers Afghanistan as a backyard for the realization of its strategic activities. Therefore, any action of region countries , especially India, in the peace process in Afghanistan is considered detrimental to their interests. That is why the initial agreement between a trigon was signed with the US, Pakistan and Taliban delegations, in which India and Afghanistan were marginalized. meanwhile India, strongly supports from the Afghanistan politics against Taliban. Therefore, it is up to the decision-makers of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to maintain a balance and create a relative convergence between India and Pakistan politics for supporting of Afghan peace process.

Translated from https://www.etilaatroz.com/