The influence of neighbouring
countries on Afghanistan
66. Throughout our inquiry we received much comment
about the poor relations and mutual distrust that exist between
the Governments and people of Pakistan and Afghanistan. A commonly-held
perception amongst the people we met during our two visits to
Afghanistan was that Pakistan, through its Inter Service Intelligence
agency, had encouraged the training of Taliban fighters in madrasas
(Islamic religious schools) and that Pakistan allowed them to
cross freely over the border into Afghanistan to fight ISAF troops.
67. During our visit to Islamabad, Pakistan, in July
2006, senior politicians and senior military personnel denied
any involvement in training Taliban insurgents. We were told that
the Pakistan Army had deployed 80,000 troops in Waziristan to
stop insurgents crossing the border and had suffered significant
casualties as a consequence. It was also noted that Pakistan was
currently home to up to 2.5 million refugees from Afghanistan
who had fled there during the Taliban regime.
68. When we asked General Richards about the role
of Pakistan, he told us that relations with Pakistan had been
a central concern during his leadership of the ARRC and that his
experience of dealing with the Pakistan Government and military
had been positive. He told us that:
Inside Pakistan, just like I am told inside Iran,
there are people who are causing us trouble. That does not mean
it is Pakistan government policy to cause trouble. Indeed, in
my experience of some very good and detailed work with the Pakistan
Army they are doing a tremendous amount and they are, in many
respects, unsung heroes.[67]
General Richards also noted that Pakistan had cooperated
with ISAF on military operations during his command of the ARRC.[68]
69. When we asked the Secretary of State about the
border issue he noted the difficulties in securing any territorial
border not least one that was 2,500 kilometres long and largely
unrecognised by the tribal people who lived there.[69]
He told us, that ultimately, there "needs to be a shared
political solution to this which identifies the difficulties,
and we encourage Pakistan and Afghanistan, despite their differences,
to continually talk to each other".[70]
He was encouraged that recently Presidents Karzai and Musharraf
had been speaking to each other more regularly.
70. Improving relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan
is of vital importance to both countries and the wider region.
We note the recent move towards increased cooperation between
Afghanistan and Pakistan, and call on the UK Government to continue
to encourage dialogue between the two countries.
Iran
71. While it borders Pakistan to the South and East,
Afghanistan shares a border with Iran in the West. Dr Akiner told
us that:
For all the Central Asians, Iran is a historic
centre, a cultural centre and at times has been the political
centre…they still look to Iran as playing an important role
in the development of the region. In Afghanistan, too, Iran has
always played quite a significant role, culturally especially,
and to some extent economically.[71]
72. During our visit to India and Afghanistan in
April 2007, we were told that Iran led a number of development
projects in Western Afghanistan. We were also told that the Iranian
border was a favoured route for drug traders transporting narcotics
out of Afghanistan, an issue which the Secretary of State told
us "the Iranians themselves devote quite a substantial amount
of resource to trying to deal with".[72]
73. During our visit to the region in April 2007,
we gained the impression that Iran's influence in Afghanistan
was regarded as largely benign. On 13 June 2007, the Governments
of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan agreed to cooperate more closely
in stopping the smuggling of narcotics across their borders. The
United Nations Office on Drugs Control (UNODC) Executive Director,
Antonio Maria Costa, was reported as describing the agreement
as "a turning point in the fight against Afghanistan's drug
problem".[73]
74. In June 2007 some press reports put the influence
of Iran in Afghanistan in a rather less positive light.[74]
On 11 June 2007, it was reported that Iranian-made shaped charges
had been discovered in Kabul. On 15 June 2007, there were reports
that Iran was forcibly deporting up to 2,000 Afghan refugees per
day, many of whom had lived in Iran for many years.[75]
75. We note the role Iran has taken in undertaking
development work in Western Afghanistan and welcome Iran's pledge
to check the flow of narcotics across its border with Afghanistan.
We also note with concern reports that explosives originating
from Iran have been used by insurgents in Afghanistan. This underlines
the urgent necessity for the West, particularly the US and UK,
to foster constructive dialogue, and to build confidence in relationships,
with as many parts of the Iranian Government and its offshoots
as possible.
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