POST TALIBAN AFGHANISTAN

· POST TALIBAN AFGHANISTAN?

Afghanistan though a poor country, has always been of great interest for foreign adventurist because of its strategic position. As I said earlier in one of my article that if it was a gateway to India. It is a gang way to central Asia; a newly found golden sparrow for the western countries.

Afghanistan was punished for a crime, which they never committed. The importation of Osama, creation of warlords and setting of heroin Industries were all the doings of U.S.A. and United Kingdom. Even the invasion of Soviet Union was preceded by interference in Afghanistan by CIA and ISI. Soviet Union was provided pretext to invade to protect its soft belly while a loyal local surrogate Babrak Karmal was readily available.

There was hardly a section of the society that was not infiltrated by ISI. Pakistan’s growing interference and arming of warlords provided an opportunity to India and Iran to protect their own national interest. Saudi were not behind any one as financier and arms supplier. In this second big game there were many players with many agendas.

Afghanistan was put on fire with a presumption that it will not spread across the Durand line. A frame of mind was created in army and civilian organisations like J.I. that the only cure of the ills of Muslim Ummah and Pakistan is lying in bullet. Zia, Reagan, Mrs Thatcher and J.I were the key players. Afghan land was selected for these nefarious aims. It is a derision of Pakistani officials that they are the victims of terrorism. Yes no one doubts that but who started the game? Who created this frame of mind?

USA under the leadership of Mr. Bush tried his own invented cure of pre-emptive strike to take revenge of twin towers. Instead of punishing the culprit they levelled Afghanistan to zero ground instead of punishing Osama and his mentors. It was their bad luck that they were one of them.

Taliban were defeated but they refused to surrender to Americans. They felt betrayed by Pakistan and Saudi and thought that Pukhtoon state was handed over to non-Pukhtoons. It assumed a nationalist cum religious movement. The subsequent installed government led by Mr. Karzai failed to recognise the reason for insurgency in Afghanistan. They miserably failed or were forced to make this historical blunder not to recognise Taliban as a political force with strong military might and were having the strong military backing of I.S.I.

Mr. Karzai made another mistake to deviate from his own stance that the warlords and those who have any secret dealing with Pakistan will not be allowed to ascend to the power and no collaboration will be sought with them. This about turn resulted in a government that was corrupt from tip to toe and was loyal to their self-interest and the interest of Pakistan. They failed to deliver any thing worth mentioning to the gross roots of the people. An era of loot and plunder started and the public optimism faded away. The public started to lament for Taliban. I.S.I. was there in physically to take advantage.

Instead of talking to the real aggrieved party and opposition they started jirga with Pakistani officials. It was a historical paradox. Jirga is not known to any other nation in subcontinent India. It is one of the important pillars in the code of life of Pukhtoon. It was bound to fail. Had it succeeded Karzai would have given free hand to Pakistan to interfere in future in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.

To expect an undiluted democracy from Karzai is unjustified. These voices are heard from the old guard who are mostly from northern Mahaz. The irony of the fact is that people like Gulabzo, a staunch communist and former ambassador to U.S.S.R, support them.

Nowhere in the world there is undiluted democracy. U.N.O. Is plagued by veto, U.S.A. is having Dollars dictatorship as pointed out by one of the most decorated American writer and journalist. In the cradle of democracy like United Kingdom we have witnessed the most brutal attitude to Irish nationalists.

Afghanistan is a fledgling democracy with no established institutions and still faced with the monstrous insurgency and foreign interference from neighbouring country and having outside army since they have none of their own. It will take ages to have a democracy that is near to its definition. What is hurting is that what they could deliver, they have failed to do like eradicating corruption, nepotism, and provision of basic needs to the common man.

All the ills have stemmed from one great folly that they failed to engage Taliban in a constructive dialogue and to stop double standards visible in the streets. Pukhtoons are right to ask why Ahmad Shah Masood portrait was given the state honour and why Dr. Najeeb portrait was denied that status. This is what I saw, heard and noticed with my own eyes and ears.

I have a firm faith that if Mr. Karzai with all his political acumen, historical vision and knowledge of Afghan psyche can engage Taliban with sincerity and honesty in a national jirga all that is needed to build the bridges of trust. He will not only put his house in order but will cut he foreign hands interfering in Afghanistan internal affairs. Afghan rulers have provided this opportunity to others. If I may remind Mr. Karzai his own words that any one who comes to Afghanistan apparently for whatever reason has its own agenda to carry out. Only afghan can have Afghan agenda.

U.S.A. really wants to bring peace to Afghanistan and get out. They know in their heart that it is impossible for them to win this war. It is a war between two set frames of minds. But what they terribly lack as a nation that they have no knowledge of the psyche of other nations. Wherever they have been they have failed to spot the problem.

The ball lies in the court of afghan rulers. They must realise that they have done nothing for the people. To win the hearts of the people they will dry up the supply line to Taliban and to engage Taliban in a jirga they will gage the foreign interference. In that case they may not need the presence of foreign forces in their soil and will rob the opposition of a strong weapon.

I do realise Afghanistan need a master plan for reconstruction that need peace but we can have a peacekeeping force from nonaligned countries and those Muslim countries that have nothing at stake in Afghanistan. It is shear silliness to ask the foreign forces to leave and not apply the same rule on Osama and other militant organisations backed by Anti Afghan countries or their rulers.

History cannot wait any more. Destructive minds have played their role now the historical afghan sanity must prevail.

Prof. (Dr) Khurshid Alam Khurshid.alam10@gmail.com Dated.15th june2010