The Heart of Asia Istanbul Process was launched in 2011 primarily to help Afghanistan become a more stable nation. To accomplish this task 14 nations in the region participated, with 17 others playing a supportive role. All the declarations since then, among other things, have focused on terrorism in the region. And though all signing nations pledged to cooperate in reducing the scourge of terrorism, it remains a menace primarily because of the support it receives from Pakistan. At the Amritsar session, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was critical of Pakistan which he said, had pledged $500 million towards development of its neighbour but was not doing anything to halt support to elements which were destabilizing Afghanistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also quite vocal and to the chagrin of Pakistan, terrorism became the prime focus at the meet. Islamabad’s obsession with having a friendly government in Kabul has driven it to create and support the Taliban which is doing nothing but destabilizing Afghanistan. Pakistan would like to give the impression that it is fighting the Taliban, but the truth is it is fighting against units that have fallen out with Islamabad. Peace can only return to the region if terrorism is completely stamped out, including the variety aimed at India.
