KARACHI-
The departure of NATO combat forces from Afghanistan could push India and Pakistan towards a proxy war in the troubled state, Pakistan’s former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf warned in an interview with a foreign news agency.
As Pakistan’s ruler, Musharraf was a key US ally in its “war on terror”, but he now lives under tight security in his Karachi home, facing Taliban death threats and a litany of criminal cases dating back to his near decade-long rule that ended in 2008.
The 71-year-old — who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 — praised new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who made his first official trip to Pakistan last week in a bid to reset fractious ties with Islamabad.
Pakistan’s support is seen as crucial to Afghan peace as US-led forces pull out by the end of this year after 13 years battling the Taliban.
But the former strongman said calming tension between India and Pakistan — running high at the moment after some of the worst cross-border firing in years — is key to peace in Afghanistan.
“The danger for Pakistan is… the Indian influence in Afghanistan,” he told the news agency at his house in Karachi.
“That is another danger for the whole region and for Pakistan because Indian involvement there has an anti-Pakistan connotation. They (India) want to create an anti-Pakistan Afghanistan.”
– Ethnic allegiances –
Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan — bitter and sometimes bloody rivals since gaining independence from Britain in 1947 — have long accused each other of using proxy forces to try to gain influence in Afghanistan.
While India has tried to gain traction with the Tajik ethnic group, which dominates in northern Afghanistan, Pakistan has sought to use its leverage with the Pashtuns of the country’s south and east who make up the majority of the Taliban.
“If Indians are using some elements of the ethnic entities in Afghanistan, then Pakistan will use its own support for ethnic elements, and our ethnic elements are certainly Pashtuns,” Musharraf said.
“So we are initiating a proxy war in Afghanistan. This must be avoided.”
Musharraf blamed India for supporting separatist rebels in Balochistan via training camps in southern Afghanistan.
Musharraf criticised former Afghan president Hamid Karzai for sending officials for training in India and not Pakistan, saying “these small things add up to strategic problems”.
Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged at the weekend to move on from the sniping and bitterness of the Karzai years, with the Afghan leader saying three days of talks had undone 13 years of differences.
But Musharraf warned that regional rivalries could flourish again once NATO’s 34,000-strong combat contingent leaves by the end of next month.
“When there is an absence of all these forces, then yes there would be a vacuum… in that case there can be more serious repercussion,” he said.
Musharraf said he stands by his decision to ally Pakistan with Washington in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
But he said that the US-led coalition that invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban had “failed to convert a military victory into a political victory” when it handed power to Tajiks and thereby alienated many Pashtuns.
He also said recent anti-government street protests led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have touched a nerve.
“The people are for change, there is no doubt in my mind, and there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the people of Pakistan, the masses of Pakistan, widely and very strongly want change,” he said.
The Iranian's are also part of this proxy war against Pakistan.
IRAN IS SHIA MUSLIMS STATE AND NAAPAK LAHORI PUNJABI SUNNYS MAFIA IN PAKISTAN SINCE 100YRS HAVE ALWAYS MALICIOUSLY CONSPIRATORIALS AGAINST SHAIS AND OTHER RELIGIOUS MINIORITIES ..MOST AFGANIS ARE SHIAS AND NAAPAK MUSHARAF SOLD PAKISTAN ARMY TO NAAPAK FIRANGIS ..
YOU ARE A CH-OT-YA PERSON.
musharaf- old retired aged 75yrs – kaafir – seeking cheap self publicity – warmonger – coward – was hiding behind his old mother dhoti –
ex dictator.. bad mad loud foul mouther ..selfish -in reality gadaar .. oh yes imrankhan and musharaf same gutterbrand politicians of sorts ..
FORGET AFGANISTAN -CLOSE BORDERS- FOCUS ON PAKISTAN
_.
same to you x2..
A democracy killer is talking like a terrorist peddler !!!
It is a time that India should dare to think about peace as it is located in a region which is highly volatile for nuclear exchange and adjacent to the hub of instability Afghanistan. India is not interested in any kind of brotherhood relation in war trodden Afghanistan. It simply wants to establish its presence in Afghanistan so after US exit, it would love to launch its skirmish motives of giving grave losses to Pakistan. It’s more than half of the century and Pakistan is fully aware the hostile and historical intentions of its next door neighbor. The Modi government should keep in mind the nuclear credentials.
Since the onset of new government in India, region seems to be diverting to some other way which is quite disturbing and dragging towards instability. Afghanistan is a major play ground for USA and India for launching their battles and to secure their economic and political interests. But Indian intentions of waging proxy wars against Pakistan would make it to pay a huge amount. Despite of having the sense that both states are nuclear weapons, India is keep on pressing the nerves and testing patience of Pakistan which at last can turn out to be quite disastrous in nature.
Musharraf is well aware of Indian evil intentions. India has used Afghanistan soil to destabilize Pakistan through Taliban influx. India has opened various training centers to train insurgents against Pakistan. Afghan government has became puppet of India and continuously blame Pakistan for Afghanistan unrest. India getting benefit of this trust deficit between India and Pakistan. Musharraf's opinion is perfect explanation in this regard.
Pakistan has reservations about the Indian involvement in the Afghanistan, as India is funding the terrorist organizations to work against the Pakistan and it wants to impose the proxy wars that will be threatening to both the Afghanistan and the Pakistan. Pakistan cannot afford to open the two fronts but has the potential to defend against the territorial threats.
It is quite easy task to motivate Taliban against India "A KAFIR" country. And presence of India in Afghanistan is a blessing rather a pain for Pakistan. Taliban will hunt down each and every Indian in Afghanistan.
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