The relevance of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to Pakistan
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Former Mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was the latest among Afghan politicians invited to visit Pakistan as part of Islamabad’s new policy to reach out to important stakeholders in the Afghan peace process-- in its bid to improve bilateral relations.
As Hekmatyar concluded his three-day visit, a 17-member delegation of Afghan parliamentarians led by the Wolesi Jirga (National Assembly) Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani reached Islamabad on Oct. 23 on the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Asad Qaiser.
Last month, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, who is leading the Afghan peace process, visited Pakistan after 12 years. The visit was marked by positivity as Abdullah, the second most important public office holder in Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani, had been critical of Pakistan in the past for interfering in Afghanistan’s affairs and supporting Taliban.
Prior to him, the ethnic Hazara Shiite politician Mohammad Mohaqqiq, considered close to Iran and part of Abdullah’s camp, paid Pakistan a visit.
A Qatar-based Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar also visited Pakistan to hold consultations on the Afghan peace process. The Pakistan-Taliban interactions have been frequent not only due to their old relationship but also on account of Islamabad’s efforts to play an active role in facilitating first the Taliban-US talks, and now intra-Afghan negotiations.
These visits explain Pakistan’s desire to be accepted as a neutral well-wisher of the Afghans instead of being seen as pro-Taliban. It will also convey a message to the Taliban that Pakistan has friendly relations with other Afghan politicians as well. Many Afghans suspicious of Islamabad’s intentions are unlikely to be impressed by this logic due to the mostly unfriendly relations between the two neighbouring countries since Pakistan’s independence in 1947. l
The high protocol given to Hekmatyar and the fact that he held meetings with President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was surprising, as he doesn’t command much political support in Afghanistan.
He was placed third in the September 2019 presidential election far behind Ghani and Abdullah by obtaining just three percent of the total votes polled amid allegations of rigging and a record low turnout.
These visits explain Pakistan’s desire to be accepted as a neutral well-wisher of the Afghans instead of being seen as pro-Taliban. It will also convey a message to the Taliban that Pakistan has friendly relations with other Afghan politicians as well. Many Afghans suspicious of Islamabad’s intentions are unlikely to be impressed by this logic.
Rahimullah Yusufzai
One reason for attaching importance to Hekmatyar’s visit could be his past close ties with Pakistan when he lived in Peshawar for more than three decades and came to know people from all walks of life, including civil and military officials. He had escaped to Pakistan along with other Islamist leaders in the mid-1970s after a failed coup attempt against President Sardar Mohammad Daoud and was welcomed by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government in a tit-for-tat response as Daoud was hosting anti-Pakistan elements.
Another reason was his position as an important mujahideen leader in the 1980’s and 1990’s as head of the Hezb-i-Islami, a militant group favoured by General Ziaul Haq’s government and the US due to its effectiveness on the battlefield against Soviet occupying forces and the Afghan communist regime.
He also remained prime minister in a fractured mujahideen government after the fall of President Najeebullah’s communist regime, but not before becoming involved in infighting with fellow groups that destroyed much of Kabul.
He was pushed into the political wilderness after suffering defeat at the hands of the Taliban, forcing him to flee first to Iran and then Pakistan. His men also briefly fought US-led NATO forces and the new pro-West Afghan government without making an impact. Finally, he made a peace deal with President Ghani and returned to Kabul by securing some privileges for his family and aides and the release of prisoners.
Certain statements Hekmatyar made during his Pakistan visit must have gladdened the hearts of Pakistani officials and public.
He termed Pakistan a second home for Afghans and praised it for hosting Afghan refugees. He said that without Pakistan’s role it would have been impossible to bring Taliban to the negotiation table.
Criticizing India for committing atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir and denying the Kashmiris the right to decide their future, he advised Indians learn from the defeat of the Soviet Union and NATO in Afghanistan. Condemning proxy wars being fought in Afghanistan, he warned that India should not use Afghan soil to destabilize Pakistan, or the US to hurt Russia, or Iran to harm Saudi Arabia.
Pakistani officials must have heard with curiosity Hekmatyar’s intentions to hold separate peace talks with Taliban-- a non-starter-- considering the fact that intra-Afghan negotiations are already underway in Qatar.
They would have listened with interest his observation that President Ghani was insincere in the peace talks as he wanted to prolong his rule, a comment that many Afghans criticized as they felt internal issues shouldn’t be raised in another country. His statement that the US, after facing defeat must immediately withdraw its forces for peace to prevail in Afghanistan also isn’t in line with Pakistan’s proposal for an orderly pullout once the intra-Afghan talks succeed.
It is clear Islamabad continues to believe Hekmatyar will be able to sustain his relevance in Afghan politics and, therefore, wants to carry on befriending him closely.
– Rahimullah Yusufzai is a senior political and security analyst in Pakistan. He was the first to interview Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and twice interviewed Osama Bin Laden in 1998. Twitter: @rahimyusufzai1
