Mortgaged souls and minds
(The portion is concluding part of the above mentioned article)
Puppet State for self exaltation
Quite some time in past two years Hamid Karzai, two time President of Afghanistan, made startling revelations about dropping of Al-Qaida and ISIS fugitives, being evacuated from Iraq and Syria, by the Air force controlling air space of the country in north eastern areas bordering Xinjiang autonomous state of China, central Asian countries and terrorism infested border areas of Pakistan.
Whatever the veracity of the Karzai’s allegations the intent behind such a development Prima facie was to utilise these excessively radicalised men for fomenting troubles in Russian Muslim autonomous areas, exploiting Uyghur dissatisfaction against China and directing the extremists and terrorists in formerly FATA and disturbed districts of Balochistan in Pakistan, overtly for establishing an Islamic state.
But little these half baked radicals knew about their handlers despite the knowledge in respect of the forces who fought against them in Iraq and Syria but romanticising with the notion of ushering in a new Islamic era in these countries by using gainfully the enemy against mutually acceptable common enemies.
Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef former Taliban Govtt Ambassador to Pakistan attributes the arrival of Islamic state activists on scene in Afghanistan to Intelligence services as a pressure tactics on Taliban who, Mr Zaeef claims, stand decimated by Taliban leaving not a shred of their presence in the rugged regions. Henry Clinton, Secretary Foreign Affairs in Obama Administration, has publically admitted to the making of armed forces for fighting proxy wars while ISIS was knocking down the barriers around Baghdad after having run down the Iraqi forces in Mosul and other surrounding areas and getting sophisticated weapons supposedly from Israel.
The Tahrikh-I- Taliban Pakistan ( TTP) is an Islamic organisation aiming at the conversation of Pakistan into an Islamic Emirate on the analogy of Afghanistan as envisaged by Afghan Taliban but turned against Pakistan when the said country joined American led forces against Mullah Omar and his administration including other networks considered as extensions of pan world Islamic movement. The Balochistan liberation Army is akin to Tamil terrorists in operations and ideology driven by ethnic and linguistic divisive outdated concepts.
Jamatul Ahrar, a diseased sectarian outfit has in its archery the opposite sects as targets. The short sightedness of the providers of safe heavens to these rabid terror groups is that while they claim to champion for an inclusive non – divisive Nation State In Afghanistan they forget the monster they are rearing shall have raison d’etre for application of their ideology within Afghanistan also as a consequence of setting on fire the neighbouring countries on the self created medieval approaches to life by them. These organisations operate from safe sanctuaries available to them in Afghanistan despite Karzai and Ashraf Gani governments pledging to see Afghanistan as a democratic and inclusive non obscurantist State in the comity of Nations but Afghan National security forces hand in glove with the terrorist organisations repaying in kind to Pakistan for hosting Afghans and by extension the Taliban non-combatant leadership.
But for changes in foreign policy of Saudi Arabia the world might have witnessed Jundullah, a fanatic movement resisting Iranian hold on Seistan Balochistan on ethnic and sectarian paradigms, fighting Iran from Afghan soil in retaliation to the Houthi, an Iranian backed obscurant terror group in Yemen hell bent on changing the political landscape of Yemen in disproportionate to their population with weapons originating from Iran. The back channel diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and Iran and de’tente in State relations is a gratifying factor for Ummah.
The characters glorifying the Afghan invincibility by alluding to defeats of the British in 1839- 1842, 1878- 1886 and 1919 battles, Soviet Union in 1989 and USA in 2021 are doing disservice to unfortunate Afghans rather than highlighting the advantages of peace in the interests of the whole region.
In the circumstances of nefarious roles of foreign Agencies with collaboration of Afghan government or Afghan Agencies or both it is the puppet State itself, more inclined to self exaltation, which is responsible for Afghan quagmire otherwise on one side fighting the ideological war against Taliban you can’t promote the same ideology in the backyard of your neighbourhood as the strategy is proving counterproductive by the hard-line ideology gaining more ground in the region. Under the cover of strategic interests Afghan government enables various hostile countries to misuse its soil for fulfillment of the respective state policies.
Better would it be for the region to conclude a ‘’No covert and overt operations Treaty ‘’ amongst all the countries sharing borders with Afghanistan to facilitate it to move forward for emerging as an economic cum Soft power State in the long run which can fructify by ceding commensurate space to Taliban towards Afghan led and Afghan owned peace process based on Islamic identity of the country with no extra territorial country roles except peaceful co- existence and respect for UN covenants in order to promote beneficial relations with all countries.
The World powers by using the susceptible elements from Afghan Society as strategic assets for pursuing their respective State agendas for forging alliances or destabilising the non- conformist governments should instead shift the focus on economic strength of the country in order to eliminate the sickness associated with the place but caught in rivalry between China led alliance and distant USA sponsored forum ;it is ripening stage for Afghans to make election from the two by coming out of the vortex of misuse by all in the name of strategic interests.
However, a neutral Afghanistan equidistant between the two world orders is the surest way for regaining the lost glory of the past by opening of surface corridors through its territory from ASEAN, Karachi and Gawadher Pakistan and chabhar Iran for connecting South Asian countries with central Asia, China peninsula, Russia and Europe by joining CPEC and recently announced connectivity& developmental programme by America and European Union together with inter South Asian and Central Asian projects for harnessing Gas, petroleum products and electricity on mutually beneficial measures.
This shift calls for statesmanship in Afghanistan which the corrupt and ethnicity centric small leaders can’t provide who shamelessly approach even countries without any fallout of violence in Afghanistan having affected them for perpetuating the disorder in the country as a surest way to retain the power hierarchy permanently and the strategy also suits those interested in use of Afghans as strategic assets to further their respective country specific Agendas. Admittedly only a ‘Messiah’ can deliver at this reckoning moment with prospects for millennium changes awaiting Greater Asia.
Momentous day for Taliban
Notwithstanding the widespread ethnic and linguistic fault lines it is the Muslim identity of absolute majority population of Afghanistan dating back to 120000 to 156000 years, since when Prophet Adam is reported to have lived, which should unite the public otherwise presently in unprecedented despair and deprivation but that to happen requires the Taliban to reach out to all stakeholders and reiterate its commitment to honour the rights of ethnic and other minorities and of women within the parameters of Afghan constitution to the extent of its consistency with Shariat and simultaneously bring out the model of Islamic state law by borrowing the relevant provisions from Pakistani and Iranian Constitutions as a biggest CBM for those harbouring misgivings about Taliban rule and also disown the incongruous legacy (1996-2001) considered u-Islamic viz the perspectives prevalent in the Muslim world with regard to the impugned decrees, judgments, deeds and verbal discourses passed by the inexperienced politicians although in good faith but admittedly with potential for strains on diverse socio-cultural features of the fairy land.
The upholding of the principle of ‘Mushurat’, in modern times elections based on universal adult franchise, is the best answer for those questioning the locus of Taliban and meanwhile join the government by sharing the portfolios on rotational basis till general elections are held under the auspices of an independent Election Commission comprising of members considered ‘Aadiq and Ameen’ with technical support from technocrats and experienced persons chosen by government empowered Committee.
The blunders committed by Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt under Late Morsi should be avoided as a lesson for the time being and no need for hastening the takeover unilaterally not acceptable even to the neighbouring countries. The international community should not interfere with the electoral system as may be chosen and accepted by the majority in the Nation and also the outcome accepted.
The status quoists are a biggest impediment in providing adequate representation to Taliban who are virtually in control of rural areas and almost fifty district headquarters out of 400 districts, many of the unconquered districts falling within the NA controlled Northern Afghanistan.
The unpopular people in the government indulge in procrastinating delays for laying down the road map for transition and largely responsible for provoking retaliatory attacks against operations conducted by the State forces against Taliban needlessly. Taming by mellowing the Taliban is needed and to bring them around for getting electoral approval in general elections instead of attempting to split the monolithic structure of the movement and brooding on misguided prescriptions for defeating the Taliban militarily as in Syria without appreciating the finer facts differentiating the two countries.
The hawkish protagonists with little value for aspirations of Afghans are increasingly manifesting their inclination for status quo regardless of the adverse consequences it could have on the public, government and the region as a whole. Let the Taliban prove the doomsayers wrong by acting responsibly to prevent the recurrence of chaotic scenes of 1989/1992 – 1996 and maintain cordial relations with the neighbourhood in order to obviate the adverse effects of breakdown in communication channels Otherwise the bitterness widespread in the country coupled with ever increasing concerns of major countries of the world could be the cause for its fragmentation resulting in integration of Pashtun and Hazara areas in Pakistan and others in the three bordering central Asian countries in the interests of world peace as a lost option.
Taliban shall find itself in the vicious circle drawn by the Ashraf Gani set-up thereby provoking the loosely knitted fighters for fight against the State forces who as per scripts cede space to Talibani armed crop for pleading, in the ensuing audience granted by J. Biden to the duo of Ashraf Gani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah in Washington DC today, against the Taliban as unreliable party to the Afghan truce agreement for implementation of which it should reiterate its commitment in unambiguous terms immediately.
Both these leaders are reluctant to accept the reality about popular support the Taliban carry and are spoilers of the peace deal along with their backers. A neutral Afghan with impeccable integrity should have headed the forum for concluding the final peace deal as the leadership in the government is more inclined to the military options by considering the USA led coalition as sacrificial goats for fulfilling their goals based on claims of shame electoral dividends but little they realise that it is just 7% of eligible Afghan voters who have participated in presidential elections 2019.
The magnitude and sweep of boycott in the elections 2019 is a pointer towards the credibility the general masses have for the Afghan government since both parties demand greater share in transition period and unwilling to accommodate the concerns of the parties the Taliban should propose the conduct of referendum about the formation the public desire to hold the interim set up exclusively otherwise the forced seizure of Afghan government in Kabul will be repetition of previous rendezvous of Taliban without recognition by almost all Countries including this time of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and UAE risking thereby the total isolation with unmanageable consequences especially economic in nature.
The reports suggesting the American withdrawal to be accomplished broadly by July 11 and only tokenistic on September 11 is reminiscent of what it did in 1989 also and on both the occasions hastened retreat resulting in power vacuum without addressing the post withdrawal scenarios and this time around Pakistan likely in a precarious position where Taliban, immune to maneuvering and dictates and conscious of betrayal by Musharraf setup when against diplomatic norms Afghan Taliban Ambassador was arrested in2001 and handed over to USA for eventually landing in Guantanamo infamous prison ( My Life with the Taliban -2010- Abdul Salam Zaeef), expects neutrality from it, the Afghan government and its allies want it to pressurize Taliban into submission before the highly opportunistic and unpopular leadership and the America’s often slanging row to do more for Afghan government and its proxies but having tasted the treachery in the recent years at the hands of America & its allies neither common masses nor the elected members of democratic institutions want the country to fight other’s battles which it demonstrated by distancing itself from the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts even though as an ideological State it could have intervened for bridging the gaps.
World is looking towards the Taliban and such an occasion has rarely come in recent past in the history of Ummah. A responsible response shall be the harbinger for undoing of Islamophobia. (Ends)
(The author is former Chairman JKPSC and can be reached on aaluzdeva_221256 @ymail.com)
