Pakistan has said that a “precipitous withdrawal” of foreign troops could create unrest in Afghanistan. I'll explain the significance of this statement by going back to 1988 when the terms of Soviet withdrawal were signed in Geneva. The terms of agreement proposed by Soviets...

..needed Pakistan's approval. But President Zia ul Haq disagreed with the terms of Geneva accord. He wanted the US and the Soviet Union to help reach a permanent political settlement in Afghanistan before the Soviets left.

President Zia was concerned that once the Soviets left, there would be a power vacuum which would result in an internecine war between the different Mujahideen leaders of Tanzeemat, primarily Ahmed Shah Massoud and Gulbudeen Hikmatyar.

Neither the Soviets nor the US took this point into consideration. As a result, thousands died in the civil war of 1990s. In the ongoing Afghan peace process, it's important that a power sharing formula, with the consent, of major stakeholders is reached in time.

Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo's govt was also dismissed by President Zia ul Haq in the same year (1988) because of two reasons.

1. He signed the Geneva accord without taking into account it's adverse ramifications for both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

2. In an interview to the Washington Post, Junejo stated that Pakistan would not enrich Uranium beyond the 5 percent level.

General Zia was firm that Pakistan should not have any limitations on its enrichment programme