Pakistan must be persuaded not to harbour the Taliban so that the explosive situation that now exists on its shared border with Afghanistan can be brought under control and stability can come to the region, according to a panel of experts. The experts - Marvin Weinbaum, Steve Coll, James Dobbins, Bruce Riedel and Col Richard Giguere - were on a panel organised at the two-day annual conference of the Middle East Institute at the National Press Club on Monday to discuss Afghanistan, Pakistan and regional stability.
Weinbaum, who moderated the discussion, said Afghanistan put the entire blame for regional instability on Pakistan, which, for its own part, is witnessing some disconcerting developments domestically, both for Gen Pervez Musharraf and the military. There is an insurgency in Balochistan, while in the tribal areas there is a “state within a state”. The US-Pakistan relationship is fragile in character and it is unclear if elections in the country next years would throw up a legitimate government or how the issue of Gen Musharraf’s uniform would be resolved. It is also uncertain how exactly he would be elected president. The destinies of Pakistan and Afghanistan are closely related; if one were destabilised, the other would be affected. Stability, therefore, is essential not only in the regional interest but in the global interest as well.