Rakhshanda Mehtab
Zalmay Khalilzad’s recent statement, suggesting that Pakistan should pursue a Doha-style agreement with Afghanistan, must be met with not only scepticism but firm disagreement. It overlooks fundamental shifts within Pakistan and the region, and dangerously misunderstands the present reality. His argument fails on several key fronts and ignores the tangible progress Pakistan has made in securing its own future.
Let’s address this directly: Pakistan today is unrecognisable from the hesitant nation of the past. The nation has moved with conviction into a new era of resolve. There is a powerful and unifying clarity here: the political leadership, our institutions, and the public stand firmly together against the threat of terrorism. This isn’t mere policy; it’s a national consensus, a collective decision that has closed the door on the old debates and hesitations. Pakistan’s will is unified, and its direction is clear.
Khalilzad’s proposal also asks Pakistan to place its trust in a partner whose credibility has evaporated on the world stage. The Taliban regime in Kabul has squandered any goodwill it once sought. This isn’t about politics; it’s about hard evidence documented by the United Nations itself, which now identifies Afghanistan as a permissive environment for terror groups. Their isolation is a direct result of their own choices and failures, not international prejudice. To suggest Pakistan build its security upon such a fragile and compromised foundation is to ignore a glaring reality.
Furthermore, presenting the Doha Accord as a model is, in my view, a serious misreading of recent history. That agreement has proven to be a failed experiment in securing lasting peace. While it served a short-term purpose, it catastrophically failed to contain terrorist spillover or dismantle the networks that fuel violence. For Pakistan to adopt it as a template would be to repeat a mistake with grave consequences.
What Khalilzad’s statement misses entirely is the sophisticated, homegrown strategy Pakistan is already executing with determination. Our approach is no longer a narrow, reactive one. It is a layered and integrated system, combining precise intelligence, robust border management, cutting off terrorist financing, and powerfully countering extremist narratives. This comprehensive framework is delivering results by systematically denying space to those who seek chaos.
And the results speak for themselves. The recent, high-profile arrests of dangerous operatives and the thwarting of major attacks are not accidents. They are direct outcomes of this sustained, intelligence-driven campaign. They prove that concrete, sovereign action is what brings security, not diplomatic gambles with actors who have consistently broken their promises.
The idea that Pakistan now needs new, intricate bilateral pacts to fight threats like ISIS-K is disconnected from the facts on the ground. Through its own relentless efforts, Pakistan has already degraded this enemy. The notion that we must start fresh negotiations overlooks the simple truth that Pakistan has taken decisive, independent action to protect its soil.
We must remember that statecraft is not static. The diplomacy of 2021 cannot be grafted onto the complex threats of today. The landscape has transformed, informed by painful lessons and new dangers. Khalilzad’s suggestion feels like an artefact from a different time.
Ultimately, the core of his proposal is strategically unsound. It expects Pakistan to tether its national security to a neighbouring regime whose very foundations have been intertwined with conflict for generations. Their systems have historically relied on instability. For Pakistan to align its future with such a framework would be an abdication of its responsibility to its people.
In my analysis, Khalilzad’s perspective is anchored in an old playbook. Pakistan, however, is writing a new one, focused on resilience, sovereignty, and the unwavering protection of its people. The positive image of Pakistan today is not one of seeking unreliable agreements abroad, but of building unwavering strength and unity at home. Our path forward is clear, and it is ours to walk.
The writer is MS Research Scholar at IIUI, a freelance content writer and a columnist.
