By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL
Afghanistan and Pakistan recently, and quietly, inked an intelligence sharing agreement. It was a move that, despite government assurances, has irked some of the public, who cannot shake longstanding suspicions about the intentions of their eastern neighbor.
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani’s has forced a paradigm shift in relations with Pakistan, moving from mutual recriminations to increasing levels of cooperation; the latest being the agreement between Pakistan’s powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) -- often accused of meddling in Afghan affairs -- and its Afghan counterpart the National Directorate of Security (NDS).
The agreement was announced on Monday with NDS spokesman Hasibullah Siddiqui telling reporters in Kabul that the agencies would share intelligence, technical information and inform each other about possible security threats.
He rejected reports that said the ISI would equip and train Afgan officers.
“The recent agreement had clearly identified common areas of cooperation in the fight against terrorism, averting possible threats and exchange of intelligence information,” he said.
But with the longstanding border dispute between the countries, centered on the de-facto Durand Line boundary that cuts through the ethnic Pashtun tribal population, some remain wary about cooperation with Pakistan.
“Signing this pact means no less than committing a national treason,” General Atiqullah Amarkhail, the former Air Chief told Anadolu Agency.
He claimed no spy agency in the world would allow its competitors, let alone an 'enemy' agency, access to its sources and information.
“This pact will literally make our spy agency surrender to the Pakistani secret service,” Amarkhail said.
The views were echoed in parliament earlier this week. During the session on Monday, many Wolesi Jirga, the lower house, members criticized the agreement.
NDS Chief Rahmatullah Nabil and National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar were summoned by the house on the matter and Zahir Qadir, the deputy speaker, threatened to nullify the pact.
“No such agreement has any worth unless it is ratified by the house,” he said.
Under Ghani's new policy of regional cooperation, the ISI chief has visited Kabul more than three times in the last few months. Afghan officers have been sent to train in Pakistan and incentives have been promised to the Pakistani business community.
In return, analysts believe Ghani hopes Islamabad would use its leverage over the Taliban to convince them to end their armed rebellion and join peace talks. That however, has not yet produced any concrete results.
A meeting between the Kabul government and Taliban representatives in Qatar, earlier this month, had no visible outcome.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the Afghan army is busy fighting the Taliban on at least 21 fronts in the country.
Groups of foreign militants have also intensified attacks in the northern and western parts of the country since the Taliban announced the launch of their Spring offensives in April, which they said will continue until the “complete departure of the foreign troops from Afghanistan.”
Pakistan's government has been stronger in taking the fight to the Taliban after a brazen militant attack on a school in the city of Peshawar last December, when gunmen killed more than 140 children.
Afghanistan's Presidential Spokesman Ajmal Obaid Abidy aimed to ease tension about the intelligence deal this week, telling media it was to ensure peace.
"Afghanistan and Pakistan understand that they have to jointly fight terrorism because both countries are suffering from this security threat,” he said.
