The Heart of Asia Conference in Amritsar was a landmark event. It was aimed at coordinating efforts for peace and development in Afghanistan. Pakistan was very much under fire for supporting terrorists who threatened Afghan security and stability in the region. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani put Pakistan in the dock and said that its pledge of 500 million dollars for Afghan reconstruction could be put to better use in wiping out terrorism with its base in Pakistan. Pakistan plays a pivotal role in the Afghan situation. It has directly or indirectly helped the Taliban which is at war with the Afghan government. It has also used terrorism to put India in the backseat in the Afghan theatre. The conference criticized Pakistan for working against the war that South Asian nations are jointly fighting to eliminate mass poverty in the area.
The Amritsar meet did a fairly good job by putting all terrorist groups threatening peace and security in Afghanistan on its hit list. Lashkar-e-Taeba and Jaish-Muhammed were most put on the list of offenders. Pakistan was indeed under considerable pressure. Of course it has faced such flack even before without reacting to it. Much hope rests on General Qamar Bajwa who has succeeded the extremely anti-India Raheel Sharif as Pakistan’s military chief. But will that curb Pakistan’s states-sponsored terrorism? India should keep its fingers crossed while trying to generate international pressure to isolate Islamabad through persistent diplomatic maneuvers.