Ray,
An excellent series of posts.
I have a few quibbles here and there, but largely agree.
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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!!
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I believe the animosity of the Afghan regimes to Pakistan is steeped first and foremost in their belief that Afghanistan's rightful and historical boundaries stretch to the Arabian sea.
The other factors you mentioned may indeed play a part, but again, it is the Afghans that refused to recognize Pakistan, they were the ones to first try and play the "Pashtun card" to "destabilize and truncate" Pakistan.
The situation is somewhat different from that between India and Pakistan in that the Pakistan has never hearkened for "reuniting Afghanistan and Pakistan" - irredentism has primarily been expressed by the Afghan side, not Pakistan.
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Afghanistan is important to Pakistan since there is religious affinity and the thorny issue of Pashtun commonality along a large tract of western Pakistan, as also, the historical connection of the Baloch people with this issue. Since these people are very independent in action and thought, it poses a serious worry to GoP since one does not know which side the cat will jump or the 'nuisance' they can create for Pakistan. Likewise, Afghans are also not too sure how this issue will pan out on their side of the border consequent to the problems in Pakistan with these elements.
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Very true.
I would like to add that there is an overwhelming interest in seeing a stable and prosperous Afghanistan (that does not harbor irredentist sentiment) because instability in that country has played havoc in Pakistan, with refugees, drugs, weapons and crime skyrocketing.
I agree with you and Neo on the complications posed by the Tribal structure. It is part of the problem in dealing with the Baloch Sardars, who chafe under any sort of central control, as it is with integrating FATA into Pakistan proper - though some voices are being raised within FATA in favor of changing its status to that of a province (something that may not necessarily bring any immediate change, but might go a long way in establishing the precedent and traditions of a democratic system in sync with that in place in Pakistan proper).