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On a Tightrope: Can Afghanistan Balance BetweenPakistan and India?Afghanistan is in a difficult position today. Can it walk a tightrope betweenIndia and Pakistan?

Traditionally, Pakistan has invariably remained nervous about Afghanistan’s closeness withIndia. Pakistan’s military chief, who is on an official visit to the United States, is reportedlycarrying Afghanistan’s stalled peace process at top of his agenda, and is expected to discuss itwith his American counterparts. The issue may likely eclipse other discussions on Pakistan’snuclear program.

Both Pakistan and the India have been trying to reach out to Kabul on different levels:Pakistan because of its direct involvement in the Afghan conflict and India because of itsgrowing economic and diplomatic stakes in Afghanistan.

President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, frustrated over Pakistan’s inability to restrain theAfghan Taliban, which use Pakistani territory to stage attacks, has begun to reveal his growingproximity towards India. In order to woo Pakistan, President Ghani, during the first fewmonths of his presidency, overtly refused any direct Indian military assistance. In a turn ofevents, Afghanistan has now approached New Delhi for direct military assistance, ignoringIslamabad’s concerns and sensitivities.

By Umair JamalNovember 16, 2015

Relations between the Pakistanis and Afghans have worsened in recent months. Afghanistan,on many occasions, has accused Pakistan of allowing attacks to occur on Afghan soil.Militants associated with the Afghan Taliban, a month ago, laid siege to the Afghan city ofKunduz and held it for days. It was only after U.S. military assistance that Afghan forces wereable to take the city back. Days after the attack, the Afghan media accused Pakistan ofsupporting the Taliban assault. Pakistan, however, denied the allegations. For its part,Islamabad has snubbed Kabul for not doing enough to contain fleeing terrorists fromPakistan’s tribal areas.

Pakistan’s approach towards its national security has witnessed some positive changes in themeantime. Pakistan has condemned the Afghan Taliban’s recent militant surge and is pushingthem towards reconciliation and dialogue. It is doing all this while keeping up its own militarycampaign against domestic militants.

India, meanwhile, continues its own approach toward Afghanistan. As noted in a recentreport published by the U.S. Congressional Research Service, New Delhi’s policy goals inAfghanistan comprise of measures aiming at containing and isolating Pakistani influencethere.

India’s interests of thwarting Pakistan from regaining influence in Afghanistan onlycomplicate the security situation in the country. Arguably, the last thing anyone needs inAfghanistan’s convoluted militant theater is Pakistan pulling out of the existing stalled peaceprocess, which it has consistently been pushing for in recent months, and reverting back to itsold policy of differentiating between “good” and “bad” Taliban.

Pakistan’s recent peace efforts in Afghanistan have been appreciated by the internationalcommunity, but emerging reports of Indian involvement in Afghanistan can only harmPakistan’s hard-earned reconciliation approach in Afghanistan.

Infighting among the Afghan Taliban for the leadership of the group has already limitedPakistan’s influence on the group. While different factions have refused to pledge theirallegiance to Mullah Akhtar Mansour, the newly elected Amir of the Afghan Taliban, abreakaway faction with control over a large group of militants, has also appointed its ownsuccessor to Mullah Omar.

Adding to the complication, in recent months, the situation across the Line of Control (LoC)–the working boundary between India and Pakistan in Kashmir–has remained volatile. Withbilateral relations between India and Pakistan sliding further into the abyss, both countries have been trying to settle scores in international institutions. Pakistan has presented dossiersat the United Nations (UN) pleading for action against India’s growing involvement inPakistan and India has stressed the issue of Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism.

Kabul’s growing closeness with New Delhi won’t sit well with Islamabad, especially with themilitary establishment. India needs to understand Pakistan’s security sensitivities inAfghanistan. Kabul, meanwhile, should focus on formulating a balanced policy towards bothcountries. Indian objectives of gaining in Afghanistan at Pakistan’s expense will only createfurther problems. Going forward, Afghanistan needs to carefully walk this tightrope as it

seeks to balance its role between these two historic foes.