By the turn of 2016, when global debate, action, and reflection about violence and counter-terrorism had shifted comprehensively to the Arab world – the old ghost of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan – terrorism is becoming ever stronger.

No place in Pakistan is out of a terrorist’s reach and in Afghanistan, an assassin can kill his target anywhere anytime. On independence days, India’s citizens lose their freedom, as streets and marketplaces convert into highly restricted areas because of the threat of terrorism. These efforts have been, are, and will continue be a mixed and uncoordinated bag of positive assistance, self interest and damaging interference. For certainly the next five to ten years, Afghanistan’s growth, development and security will be dependent, for good or ill, on the activities of its neighbours. While it is hard to find a neighbour that does not desire-both publicly and privately-peace and stability inside Afghanistan, each neighbour has a distinctly different vision of what this peace and stability should look like. These remain critical years for Afghanistan. Both inside and outside Afghanistan, increasing criticism and a sense of ‘wait and see’ is making it even harder for the Afghan government and international community to create the forward momentum necessary. The uncertainty generated by the deteriorating security situation, which is now spreading into non-Pushtun areas of Afghanistan, is causing growing concern. With the exception of China, all of Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours appear to be at some risk of their own internal strife over the next two to five years.

Lack of capacity and resources will hinder the potential of the Central Asian States to make significant contributions for a decade or two. It is not merely the issue of covert agendas that are restricting the value of neighbourly interventions. Iran, and most crucially, Pakistan, look to have covert agendas that are intended to serve their own interests-at the expense of Afghanistan if necessary. Much activity can still be defined as ‘malign interference’. However, the intentions and actions of Afghanistan’s neighbours are not always as constructive as they might be. Humanitarian aid and political, economic and reconstruction support has been received by Afghanistan from all its neighbours. This article deals with three principal questions - What will be the future situation of Afghanistan after 2014, whether Afghanistan would be the launching pad of international terror attacks, and whether War against terror in Afghanistan could be avoided?Īfghanistan’s future is completely dependent upon positive and constructive approaches from its neighbours and near neighbours. Combinedly all these present tough challenges for future peace in Afghanistan. Involvements of predatory foreign forces stretching the battle beyond limit. The present peril in Afghanistan is an outcome of an extended war amongst the Hamid Karzai-led Afghan government, Taliban including Haqqani, Northern Alliance, and petty or powerful warlords.

The circumstance in Afghanistan is identical since millenia. The petty and selfish ambitions of the chiefs, tribal feuds and jealousies have always enabled an adroit ruler to maintain his authority. Innovations are liable to be fiercely resented and opposed by the armed strength of the tribes concerned. Since time immemorial, peace in Afghanistan has always been absent.If ever peace made its presence, it becomes too costly for its inhabitants to afford.As time progressed its people developed the nebulous habit to cohabit with the elusive peace in the region.The bold and warlike character of the Afghans has always preserved them from being crushed by the despotic use of power by their chiefs or kings.

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