The Pak Afghan border has become a prickly issue. Peace seems elusive and Pakistan has not relented in its forays across it. That has antagonized the Afghan parliament against the country’s interior and defence ministers. The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai has however taken the side of his two ministers. The ethnic conflict in the Afghan parliament has become a serious issue. The US is well aware of it and is trying to persuade Pakistan to do away with the sanctuaries of terror on the border. Those in Waziristan offer asylum to the Haqqani militants. The NATO forces are keen on getting the land routes from Pakistan to Afghanistan reopened. Pakistan is game for a deal with the US which perhaps accounts for the Pakistani ISI Chief’s recent visit to Washington. As a quid pro quo, the US is expected to cut down its drone operations on the border. On the other hand, the Haqqanis are overly aggressive. They are not merely attacking foreign troops but also making a grab for Afghanistan’s minerals for their clandestine trade.
The US and Afghanistan are playing the end game with subtle moves. But those living in the border area-a mosaic of ethnic and tribal complexity-are carrying on in their old ways with a slow rhythm. The power politics on the global scene leave them unaffected. The making and unmaking of nations mean little to their laid-back existence. In this context, young men from the Chiral region joining the Afghan forces has caused consternation in Islamabad. Religious fanaticism continues to be a rallying force among the unpredictable frontiersmen.