Now coming to the question of Strategic Depth. Yes Pakistan needs the strategic depth. Not for withdrawing the army from the eastern front in face of Indian attack but to locate its central command and strategic assets as far back from Indian border as possible. That is something that we all know.
What is more important is that Afghanistan also needs Strategic Depth. Not in geographical but in geopolitical terms.
Afghanistan needs Pakistan for its reconstruction in post NATO/US era. Without Pakistans sincere help Afghanistan will slide back into the civil war of the early 90s. Afghanistan at present is deeply divided on ethnic lines and it will need at least a decade of peace to build the trust and for that there need to be a peace keeper strong enough to be able to keep these groups at bay. Just like the role NATO has been playing after the breakup of Yugoslavia.
This role will not be limited to peace keeping only Pakistan will have to literally reconstruct Afghanistan. Now there are many that will think that why should Pakistan reconstruct Afghanistan? The answer is that Pakistan has no choice; Pakistan and Afghanistan are one and the same.
Yes we are the same country. This geographical area that we now know as Pakistan has always been part of Afghanistan. We have to eradicate this evil divide created by British and become one as we have always been. I am not talking about Pashtunistan that some brain dead Pashtun nationalist idiots jump up and down for; I am talking about ALL of the Pakistan.
This will surely make some Pakistanis jump. This will be their most predictable initial reaction. They don't like to hear that but the problem is that it is the truth. They just simply do not know their history.
Look at the first map of Afghanistan by first map of Afghanistan I mean the first modern state of Afghanistan from the times of Ahmad Shah Durani- That shows present day Pakistan as part of Afghanistan in its entirety. Lahore was Ahmad Shah Duranis second capital after Qandahar. Furthermore, who build the modern Lahore?
Yes you guessed right, it was Malik Ayaz, Mahmood Ghaznavis General, he is even buried in Rang Mahal commercial area of Lahore.
Now the fortunes have changed; Eastern side of Afghanistan (Pakistan) is more developed then the western Afghanistan and that is why Afghanistan needs it.
As far as Durand Line is concerned; it is the biggest injustice to the population living on either side of this evil divide. It has literally divided one body into two; right from Wah Khan till Kamal Khan it is has dividing family from family and brother from brother.
People in Islamabad can jump up and down all they like but their hoo haa will not change the 2,430 kilometre long tragedy.
The real tragedy is that both sides are being utter and sheer idiots about solving this problem. Afghans are making idiotic demand of so called Pashtunistan and the Pakistanis have been hiding under the table scared of the fact that one day there might be a strong stable Afghan government that will pursue their this idiotic demand.
Lets look at this demand of Pashtunistan
Afghans want the KpK and Baluchistan areas. The population in these areas is bigger then the total population of Afghanistan. Not only that but the region that they want is far advanced in every aspect, be it economically, financially or infra structure wise.
Now for instance even if Afghanistan somehow manages to get this region, will it not be the case that this new acquired land and its population will literally take over everything in Afghanistan due to its massive advantage in resources? Are Afghans willing to give up all its businesses, commerce, jobs and above all the leadership to us Ex-Pakistanis? Of course not
their demand for Pashtunistan is based on utopian thinking.
On other hand Pakistan can not run away from reality that this Durand Line has divided brother from brother. On what basis will Pakistani Government ask for it to be made permanent? It can not be Ethnic reasons because, as I mentioned earlier, it is exactly the same population mercilessly divided into two. It can not be on religious basis as both populations have exactly same religious ideology. It can not be on geographical lines as we have perfect accesses to each other. So on what basis can Pakistani Government ask for this evil divide to be made permanent?
I perfectly understand that my ideas may sound rather far fetched to most of you but you have to ask yourselves that what other option does both Pakistan and Afghanistan have? If Pakistan is asking for integration with Kashmir then why will it not use the same formula with Afghanistan? Pakistan really has to stop looking at Afghanistan as problem running away from it and undermining it. Pakistan should instead embrace it with sincerity and with open arms after all we have been one for thousands of years. Why think as different nation now?
Do Pakistani planners think by creating Pakistan friendly and Afghan non-friendly outfits will Pakistan ever evade this problem? These immature and uneducated policies have made everyone in Afghanistan hate Pakistan, Pashtun as well as non-Pashtuns.
It is about time that Pakistanis and Afghans open their eyes and think like grown ups. It is not only in their interest to work together but it is absolutely vital for them.
p.s. written this note in real rush so may be a bit incoherent... but one should use his imagination ... if he has any.