Afghanistan–Pakistan Relation and Its Implication on Regional Geopolitics

Abstract

The research aimed to investigate the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan after the 9/11 incident. The present study is making a serious effort to identify the root causes of this apprehensive movement of bilateralism. The research also aims at developing a strategic position for Pakistan in the current state of affairs. The political aspects and external environment for both countries are discussed in the research. In addition, the research is also looking forward to analyzing the impact of other regional actors including Iran, China, Russia, India and Central Asian nations on Pakistan and Afghanistan relationship. Moreover, the important question of the thesis is if the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan will maintain a stable and healthy relationship in near future. The research is more analytical as it involves the historical perspectives, literature review, main challenges and the involvement of different international players in this bilateral relation. The researcher collects secondary data to conduct this research. The secondary sources include for the research are the journals, articles, websites, reports, websites and scholarly publications. The existence of Afghanistan in a geo-strategic location attracted the foreign countries and they intervened and influenced during several periods. In addition, the economic dependence of the country also made it easier for foreign countries to intervene in different matters of Afghanistan. For establishing a peaceful and friendly relationship between the two countries, it is crucial for the important players to get involved to show their honest interest. However, the foreign players are not successful in doing so which resulted in volatility and disorder in the whole region. The actions from Pakistan jeopardized the relationship with Afghanistan and it can be concluded that there is a long way to maintain healthy and stable relationship with each other.