Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations Post 2014: Impacts on Pakistan’s Security

Two developments are significant in pakistan-Afghanistan relations in 2014. One, UN and US mandate for stationing of troops in Afghanistan ended in 2014 (Although US had kept small number of troops (20,000) in Afhganistan after that which is to withdraw by 2017). Second, Hamid Karzai, who has been vocal critic of Pakistani security establishment and in later years of US policies too, was to steop down as president of Afghanistan after his second and constitutionally last term expired. The elections that brought new President Ashraf Ghani to power also are critical important to reset Pakistan Afghanistan Relations. The paper is an attempt to analyze the impacts of these two and associated developments on the security of Pakistani State. The fundmental premises of the paper is that the variables that affected Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations adversally are being reduced and thus provide a rare chance in last three decades for a mutally beneficial and trust based relationship.