Abstract
Pakistan‟s recent assumption of the role as a key facilitator of
the Afghan reconciliation process signals a pragmatic shift in
its regional security approach. Occurring essentially in
response to NATO‟s military exit from Afghanistan, this shift
entails a major compromise on its previous India-centric
„strategic depth‟ policy of dominating Afghanistan through
Pashtun-Taliban proxies. It is a part of its broader “regional
pivot” towards enhanced cooperation with regional states to
secure long-term geo-economic gains such as increasing the
level of trade with India, gaining access to Central Asian
energy sources, and making Pakistan a corridor of trade and
energy from Central to South Asia. Consequently, the country
has reached out to traditionally hostile non-Pashtun Afghan
leaders of the erstwhile Northern Alliance, proactively
pursued peace process with India; and diversified regional and
international relations — as manifested in rapid progress in its
relations with Russia and Central Asian states, expanding
strategic partnership with China and energy-centric amity with
Iran. As the end-2014 deadline of the withdrawal of NATO
troops from Afghanistan looms, it is important to recognize
the evolving transformation in Pakistan‟s Afghan and regional
approaches, especially its potential for Afghan peace and
regional stability
Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmad. (2013) Pakistan’s ‘Regional Pivot’ and the Endgame in Afghanistan, IPRI Journal, Volume-13, Issue-2.
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