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Originally Posted by Adil Memon
Though it was Pakistan that saved Afghanistan from Soviet Union,
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Pakistan intervened in Afghanistan for its own political and military needs and not really out of any compassion, even though a religious sheen was given to the issue for political necessity, both for domestic and international consumption! And an excellent job they did.
However, Pakistan having uncorked the religious fanatics, failed to follow through and establish a govt as is understood in political terms of governance. It could also be that there was a method in the madness where Pakistan purposely allowed things to go out of control, for a strong Afghanistan is a dangerous Afghanistan since it could cause turmoil in the Pashtun majority areas of Pakistan. It is not the issue of Pakhtoonistan or Pakhtoonwali which I allude to, it is the free wheeling tribalism where each tribe jockeys for supremacy. A confused Afghanistan is a safe Pakistan.
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India is looked at more favourably than Pakistan by Afghan government. So while India is extolled for the services it renders in national reconstruction in Afghanistan, Pakistan is increasingly falling under the ire of Afghan leaders despite losing 1000+ soldiers in fighting Afghanistan's war in Pakistan.
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The reason why Afghanistan is not favourable to Pakistan is not hard to understand. Pakistan is a stronger country than Afghanistan in every way and a strong neighbour does worry a weaker neighbour. Irrational it maybe, but very natural, as is the Pakistan vibes with India.
Apart from that, it would not be surprising that they maybe worried that Pakistan may use their Pashtuns to destabilise Afghanistan leading to a truncated Afghanistan!!
One wonders what you are meaning that Pakistan is fighting Afghanistan's war in Pakistan. Pakistan is fighting its own internal battle in FATA and NWFP. There is a view that Pakistan is using the situation to fulfil a long unfulfilled desire to bring these Tribal Agencies into the mainstream Pakistan than have the loose administration that is current. Further, Pakistan is fighting the WoT for its own reasons and not through any pollyannish desire. The WoT brought Pakistan from the brink of being termed as a 'rogue state' and a 'failed state' as also it filled its coffers with WB and IMF funds when the economy was scraping the barrel and gave it a bonanza of weapons to fill the void that was creeping up.
India is more favourably seen by Afghanistan because of the long historical ties, and because quite a few of the educated elite of Afghanistan were educated
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Afghanistan and India are both hostile countries for Pakistan. Any warmth in their relations would be taken seriously by Pakistan. Pakistan can not allow India to have the 'strategic depth' it acquired in the 1990s in Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan does not give India any strategic depth.
The meaning of strategic depth has to be understood.