President Karzai’s Outbursts

President Karzai’s outbursts

Mohammad Jamil

Last month at a meeting in Brussels, US Secretary of State had tried to remove misunderstanding and mistrust among key players that had floundered peace in Afghanistan. War of words by President Hamid Karzai further spoiled the atmosphere while in the face of tough realities, it was imperative that the key players should remain on the same page. 

The US has pinned hopes on John Kerry to bring the parties back to negotiating table, using his good relationship with President Karzai. But in a recent salvo Karzai pointing out to the Taliban said: “Instead of destroying their own country, they should turn their weapons against places where plots are made against Afghan prosperity”. Such provocative remarks could exacerbate the already testy relationship with Pakistan. In fact, Hamid Karzai suffers from occasional fits to use vitriolic against Pakistan. His statement was reflective of his mental bankruptcy, as Pakistan is making sincere efforts to make Afghanistan move ahead with the process of reconciliation for durable peace and stability there.

He has forgotten Pakistan’s role in playing host to millions of Afghan refugees, accommodating them and giving them a share in economic activity. But Karzai is ungrateful type. In fact, he is feeling insecure, as Pakhtuns consider him as American puppet; Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbaks do not care a damn for him because he is at the fag end of his presidency. Hamid Karzai is extremely worried about his security, and it is out of frustration that he is lashing out at the US, Pakistan and the Taliban. Recently, President Karzai ordered US Special Forces to immediately cease all special operations and leave the restive province of Wardak - a strategic important eastern province viewed as gateway to capital. This area has been the focus of counterinsurgency efforts in recent years, yet President Karzai is trying to tarnish the image of the coalition forces in the eyes of Afghan masses.

Showing utter disregard to fraternal and religious ties between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Karzai government has allowed Indian agency RAW to use long porous border for illegal activities against Pakistan, which provides financial and military support to Baloch separatists. Pakistani reservations on the issue are genuine as Chuck Hagel had stated in 2011 during his address on Afghanistan at Oklahoma’s Cameron University that India has over the years “financed problems” for Pakistan in Afghanistan. The war on terror has become the longest war in US history - nearly 11 years. It has consumed $57 billion in American development aid. The US military has spent more than $517 billion trying to subdue and secure Afghanistan. What, in the end, has the US achieved after all this time and treasury spent in Afghanistan? The world as well as the US is no more safe from terror attacks; rather an upsurge in terrorist activities has been observed.

In fact all the money spent in Afghanistan has gone down the drain, as there has been virtually no progress and development during their 11 years’ presence in Afghanistan and fighting the war on terrorism. Instead of identifying the causes for their inability to decimate the Taliban, Karzai continues with his propaganda that Pakistan is not sincere in bringing peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan is in the neighborhood of Afghanistan and has suffered a lot due to this territorial contiguity. Pakistan is fully committed to bring peace and tranquility in Afghanistan as troubling or distressed Afghanistan hurts Pakistan both in economic development and maintaining law and order. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman reiterated Islamabad’s firm commitment to any dialogue process with the Taliban and Afghan government that ensures peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. Of course, stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan. President Hamid Karzai does not like to reciprocate such gestures.

On the contrary, Afghanistan leadership does not feel qualms for rewarding India in the form of contracts for reconstruction, which had not played any part during Afghan jihad in 19*80 to rid the Soviet occupation. Instead, it has facilitated India to create problems for Pakistan. During the last few decades, Pakistan is facing a severe low water flow in the rivers running from Indian Occupied Kashmir to Pakistan, which is resulting in shortage of water for irrigation and energy generation purposes. India is not only violating Indus Water Treaty by building hundreds of small and large water reservoirs or uplifting the existing dams, but also encouraging and financing construction of dams in Afghanistan, which will further reduce water flow in Pakistani rivers. Unfortunately, there are certain nationalist elements in Pakistan especially in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwah (KPK), who on one hand strongly oppose the construction of water reservoirs in Pakistan i.e. Kalabagh Dam; and on the other encourage India to build dams on the rivers flowing to Pakistan either from India or Afghanistan..

In April 2013, the Chairman of Awami National Party (ANP), Asfandyar Wali Khan in an interview to Radio Pakistan said that Pakistan should not criticize the uplift projects being carried out by India in Afghanistan. He added that if India wants to build roads and hospitals in Afghanistan, then Islamabad should not oppose the activities and avoid creating paranoia over the role of India. He further questioned that “Will Islamabad tolerate Kabul’s criticism over the construction of a port by China at Gwadar in “Balochistan”. One does not understand that he is concerned about Pakistan’s interests or interests of India and Afghanistan. When we have leaders like him, Pakistan does not need enemies. People of Pakistan had always doubts about such persons’ fidelity to Pakistan, and apart from rampant corruption in KPK during ANP’s tenure it was people’s disenchantment and distrust in the ANP leadership that the party has been completely routed in the May 11 elections. Pakistan is unlucky to have such leaders who enjoy perks and privileges of highest echelons of power but instead of promoting Pakistan’s interest, they promote aliens’ interests.

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