Afghanistan & Pakistan relation: Potential of Cooperation and Confrontation

Abstract

This thesis explores the complex relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It will try to basically find the certain factors which negatively impact on maintenance of good relation between these two countries. It will go deeper into studying policy objectives of Pakistan in Afghanistan for the last twenty years. More specifically, it will discuss the issue of Taliban, insurgent groups, terrorism Pashtun, and Durand line which are considered as the top threats to the instability of Afghanistan. Afghan Government claims that Pakistan has given Taliban and Al-Qaeda safe places in its territory and as well as they are being supported by Pakistan’s military intelligence (ISI) but Pakistan denies any connections with them. These arguments have paved a mistrust and suspicion relation between these two countries. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the major challenges, which caused that these two countries to never succeed in establishing a smooth bilateral relation free of tensions.