Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Dr Moeed Yusuf is set to meet senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan this week to assess the on-ground situation there amid a steadily intensifying humanitarian crisis brought on by increasing food insecurity and the crippling winter cold. The situation is precarious enough that the United Nations (UN) felt compelled to launch the biggest-ever appeal for any single country, asking the world to collectively donate of $5 billion for Afghanistan in 2022. Cognizant of the possibility of a civil war breaking out in the country and how it would severely affect its own national security, Pakistan has attempted to provide some relief as well, sending multiple consignments of essential food and medical supplies, but there are obvious limitations to how much it can realistically do. Apart from the scarcity of resources and its own ongoing economic problems, Pakistan also faces some administrative constraints as well. For example, the federal government’s request to the central bank to open an Afghan Relied Fund account to collect donations was denied on the basis that the move would be in violation of Pakistan’s commitments under international covenants and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) action plan, which could result in sanctions against the country. That the denial comes just a few days after the SBP autonomy bill was passed in the National Assembly and still needs to be tabled and passed in the Senate is an indication of how the central bank is going to be treating such requests from the federal government, especially ones that risk irking bodies such as the FATF, going forward. From a diplomatic standpoint, the border fencing issue between the Pakistan government and its security forces and the Taliban remains unresolved. Although interior minister Sheikh Rashid has said that any further fencing will only be done with the consent of the Afghan government, it remains to be seen how maintainable that commitment really is.
At the meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Islamabad last month Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted the need to act fast and help Afghanistan to avert a crisis. Pakistan has therefore clearly taken the mantle to direct a collective global response in addressing the unfortunate situation Afghanistan finds itself in but the government should be mindful of its limitations and proceed in line with its national interest and security policy.
