KARACHI: Over a week after the event, analysts are still discussing the patterns of Islamic diplomacy in Afghanistan. Questions are being raised about the success of the Iranian president’s four-day visit to Islamabad and the fact that No joint communiqué was issued at the end.
The Pakistan PM’s unexpected three-and-a-half hour meeting with King Fahd of Saudi Arabia on September 11 in Jeddah and the possible convergence of the foreign policies of Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia with Afghanistan is significant.
The foreign office has released a nine point set of guidelines that reads like a treaty or formal agreement between Iran and Pakistan,
The heart of this agreement is the reiteration of Iranian and Pakistani support to the Islamic government of Afghanistan. The two countries have also committed themselves to non-interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. They have called for international respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Afghanistan and for the initiation of the electoral process with participation by all Afghan groups. The specific mention of all Afghan groups is specially significant.
The two parties have pledged not to provide aid in any form to any Afghan faction and reiterated their desire to ensure that all aid to the Afghans is channeled through the government. This implies an Iranian commitment not to provide further aid, war material, cash or other supplies to the Hezb-Wahdat and other Shia groups while Pakistan has promised not to aid the Hezb-Islami of Hekmatyar or any other faction.
Two other specified agreements can be noted. First the two countries have agreed to welcome Afghanistan into the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) which brings together Turkey, [ran and Pakistan and the five Central Asian states. Secondly, both countries have expressed their intention to help Afghanistan in the reconstruction effort.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1992
