Afghan President Hamid Karzai, long a staunch advocate of peace talks with Taliban, on Wednesday questioned whether the insurgent group was able to seek a political settlement and blamed Pakistan for fomenting instability, as Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Pakistan was a part of the Afghan solution and any effort to address this issue without it would not be productive.
Karzai took a swipe at Pakistan, saying it was clear the Taliban leadership was not independent enough to make its own decisions about how it conducted the war, and suggesting talks with Islamabad instead. “During our three-year efforts for peace, the Taliban has martyred our religious ulema (leaders), tribal elders, women, children, old and young,” Karzai was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his office. “By killing (Burhanuddin) Rabbani, they showed they are not able to take decisions. Now, the question is (should we seek) peace with who, with which people?”
Hundreds of Rabbani’s supporters protested in Kabul on Tuesday against his killing, chanting “death to Pakistan, death to the Taliban” and demanding the government scrap plans to hold dialogue with the insurgents. Preliminary investigations into Rabbani’s killing, presented to Karzai by the country’s intelligence chiefs on Tuesday, said the attack was plotted outside Afghanistan and the Taliban’s powerful Quetta Shura may have been involved.
Karzai said Afghanistan’s efforts to improve ties with Pakistan had not been reciprocated. “Pakistan did nothing to destroy terrorist strongholds, allowing them to train in its territory,” he said. “And now, if the Taliban is being used… by the ISI, then Afghanistan has to talk with Pakistan and not the Taliban,” he added. Speaking at a dinner hosted by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Masud Kausar in his honour here, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan supported the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process.
However, such a process should not destabilise Pakistan, he said. Gilani said that Pakistan had its own interest in the region which it would protect at all costs.
A Majority of Pakistanis excluding the bearded ones from the Jamaat e Islami you see burning US flags, admire, love and look up to the US. However Pakistanis feel they have been constantly let down by the US since Pakistan was created, despite sacrifices given by Pakistanis and they are many, starting from allowing U2 Spyplanes to fly from Pakistani bases, causing Kruschev to circle Islamabad with a red pen as a legitimate Nuclear target, then the Pakistanis helped defeat the USSR in neighbouring Afghanistan, then we lost 35000 civilians in suicide bombings after 911, when before 911 there was only one suicide bomb ever. We also lost about 3000 soldiers, and lost over $100 Billion to our economy as capital fled the country.
Despite all, this and helping the US capture alive most of AL Qaedas top brass escaping Afghanistan, we still get doubted upon, we still get the sticks while Indians get the carrots as in Nuclear plants when we need them the most. Americans keep asking too much of a small impoverished nation that has also been struck recently by natural catastrophies, the worlds largest refugee population, and a huge energy shortfall. Pakistanis are now simply tired of Americans and want to be left alone.
The writer is missing the fundamental reason why Pakistan does not want a stable and prosperous Afghanistan. Punjabi estabilment in Pakistan is not interested in the well being of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan. Punjabi so called ‘elite’Would like to see Afghanistan turn to stone age and run by some for of religious fundamentalist. This would supress any Pashtun Nationalist from attempting to claim half of Afghan land on the Pakistani side of the Durrand Line. Punjabi dominated army was not happy when a Pashtun King was on the Throne in Kabul and a Pashtun educated Secular intelgencia was ruling in Kabul. Pakistan has tried to supress Pashtun in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan by intraducing Madrassa to brain wash the into toeing the line. I.e keeping the backward. I myself as a Pashtun from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regard myself as an Afghan first. Pakistan has no right in trying to destablise Afghanistan. If these Haqqani’s / Taliban who are creation of the ISI feel they have support in Afghanistan then let them stand in elections there because they would not get any vote.
My advice to the American’s is this -do not believe what the Punjabi establishment Pakistan a terrorist exporter nation tells you , it is a lies. Move your troops up to the river Indus this will save you blood and treasure. We Pashtun and Baluch will help you by decapitate the in half. This is Pakistan dreaded nightmare I.e a Pashtunistan. This will end the war very quickly. The troop supply line would be secured via Baluchistan port of Gwader and the Indus will act as a natural barrier from Terrorst exporter. As far as North Waziristan is concern it the becomes an Afghan internal matter.
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