The United States must adopt measures to reduce its centrality to the conflict in Afghanistan while Pakistan should also revisit its foreign policy and evolve a positive approach towards its neighbours. These views were expressed by the speakers at the concluding ceremony of a two-day international conference called “Transition in Afghanistan: Post-Exit Scenarios”, which was jointly organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) here on Thursday. Several intellectuals and analysts including Dr Kayhan Barzegar, US scholar Dr Brian Katulis, Prof Hasan Askari Rizvi, Dr Christian Wagner, Lt Gen (r) Kamal Matinuddin and Rustam Shah Mahmood spoke on the occasion.
Dr Kayhan Barzegar rejected any understanding with the US on Afghanistan and observed that the US strategy in Afghanistan was just to undermine Iran’s interests in the region. He said the Iran-Pakistan diplomatic relations could be adversely affected by the Pakistan’s approach towards the Taliban because Iran was opposed to the agenda of the Taliban. Dr Brian Katulis blamed the US-led invasion of Afghanistan and said that by repeating mistakes and the US must not expect its desired results. He was of the view that the US exit deadline for 2014 could be extended to the next decade. He said the US approach might be governed by the impending economic crisis, which he said, was the direct result of its decade-long war. Prof Hasan Askari Rizvi said any country’s indulgence in proxy wars was a dangerous practice and reliance on terrorist groups was a “sure remedy for disaster”. “Militants cannot be relied upon” he asserted, adding that Pakistan had no need to play any role that the Afghans did not want.
Lt Gen (r) Kamal Matinuddin described the history of the conflict since the fall of Daud regime. He said the post-US exit scenario depended on four factors. “Pakistan’s role in the war on terror will continue even after the US withdrawal. The best scenario will be the Taliban’s surrender, because otherwise there will surely be a civil war,” he said. Former ambassador Rustam Shah Mahmood rejected the very US version of the 9/11, and said the attacks on the Twin Towers was the work of the CIA and Mossad “to provide an excuse for the action against Afghanistan and get a foothold in the region”. He said the FATA remained peaceful throughout the war against the Soviets. “All the hell broke loose after the 9/11”, he said, adding that the solution in his view lay in vacation of foreign forces from Afghanistan. He said only the Afghans could settle their affairs, “without interference from the outside”.
