News Analysis: Afghan army cadets training in Pakistan to boost military ties

The Pakistan Military Academy ( PMA) has recently accepted six cadets from the Afghan National Army for training, a move that is expected to boost the two countries' military cooperation and bridge the trust gap between Kabul and Islamabad.

Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad Janan Mosazai said the six Afghan cadets will undergo an 18-month course at the PMA's campus in the northwestern city of Abbotabad.

Pakistani security officials said while the academy has provided military education and training to Pakistanis and cadets from several friendly countries, this is the first time that Afghans have been accepted.

The training will enable the Afghan cadets to receive premier training in modern anti-insurgency campaign as both countries are facing almost similar security challenges, security officials said.

Analysts said Kabul's decision to have some of its future military officers trained in Pakistan is important because the Afghan National Security Force will be left to fend for itself after the withdrawal of most of the U.S.-led NATO forces from the country at the end to their combat mission.

The move is also a confidence building measure that will put an end to the long-standing suspicions between Pakistan and Afghanistan as they struggle to contain the Taliban insurgency in their respective territories.

The two countries have in the past blamed each other when there is an armed attack by the Taliban or other armed groups in their respective territories because of the lack of border mechanism and intelligence sharing.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share a common border in their tribal mountain region.

Pakistan has repeatedly offered military training to the Afghan forces but mistrust and the traditional blame-game had prevented the Afghan authorities to take advantage of the offer.

Pakistan first offered training to Afghan security personnel in 2010 at a NATO conference in Brussels. The proposal was aimed at bridging the mistrust between the two countries.

Three years later, then Afghan Defense Minister Bismillah Muhammadi visited Pakistan in 2013 to inspect Pakistani military training facilities for Afghan security personnel but the Karzai government eventually scrapped the idea.

Pakistan's Army Chief General Raheel Sharif renewed the offer in his meeting with President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul in November.

The Army Chief also offered capacity enhancement of an Afghan infantry brigade,including provision of equipment.

President Ghani's decision to send army soldiers to train in Pakistan is widely seen as a paradigm shift in Afghanistan's perceptions about Pakistan.

Islamabad, on the other hand, is upbeat over the Afghan government's policy change.

"It is a very positive development. This is one more manifestation of the very constructive and expanding engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tasnim Aslam said.

The Afghan cadets training could also help in reducing Islamabad's distrust due to the training of Afghan forces in arch- rival India.

Afghan officials said nearly 350 Afghan security personnel are currently receiving training in Indian military institutions under a bilateral strategic partnership agreement signed by the two countries in 2011.

The military-to-military contacts between Afghanistan and Pakistan have paved the way for joint efforts to fight armed groups who have played havoc in both countries. Amid growing security cooperation, military commanders are now coordinating operations on their respective sides of the two countries' long and porous border.

The fast growing security cooperation is also important for the peace process in Afghanistan as Afghans believe Pakistan is one of the few major players that could to play pivotal role in the reconciliation with the Taliban insurgents.

Pakistani officials said Islamabad will facilitate the peace process if Kabul takes the initiative for a dialogue with the Taliban. Islamabad has insisted that the peace process should be Afghan-initiated and Afghan-controlled with Pakistan only helping to facilitate it. Endi