Afghans blame Pakistan, and want Western forces to stay on
Yalda Hakim
October 10, 2011
Sydney Morning Herald
"Every Muslim knows fighting infidels is a duty. If you become a martyr, you'll go [to] paradise," says Qari Ramazon, the man responsible for the attack on Kabul's Serena Hotel in 2008, which killed six people. When Ramazon looks you in the eye and says he'd be happy if the West faced more terrorist attacks, you start to wonder if the past 10 years in Afghanistan have made any real progress.
After gaining rare access to one of Afghanistan's most notorious prisons, Pul-e-Charkri in Kabul, I asked him why his group remain intent on killing. "Afghans and Pakistanis are against the US and NATO. It's my duty to fight them. I can afford to put explosives on my body and lose my life," Ramazon told me.
I travelled to Afghanistan to interview the man in charge of negotiating peace with the Taliban, former president Burhanuddin Rabbani. But within 36 hours of my arrival, I was attending his funeral. He was killed by an assassin who had hidden a bomb in his turban. This is life for ordinary Afghans, who live every day fearing another leader will be targeted or more innocent civilians killed in this seemingly endless war.
Mourners gathered at a hilltop cemetery overlooking Kabul as Rabbani was laid to rest. They were angry. Angry at Pakistan. Angry at its intelligence agency, the ISI. Most Afghans I spoke to accused Pakistan of harbouring the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Pakistan has of course been quick to reject these accusations, but from the country's opposition leader to police chiefs and ordinary civilians, Afghans continue to blame their hostile nuclear neighbour for their woes. "Osama bin Laden was found at the heart of Pakistan's military establishment. To think al-Qaeda and the Taliban aren't based there is wrong," said police chief Esmatullah Alizai.
The death of Rabbani has dealt a serious blow to any negotiations with the Taliban. Rabbani, an elder statesman respected by both sides of Afghan politics, gave the body legitimacy. An ethnic Tajik and once leader of the Northern Alliance, the 70-year-old was also able to protect President Hamid Karzai, a Pashtun, from rival camps within his government.
Pressure is now mounting on the country's embattled leader to not only appease various factions but to find a consensus on the peace process. For many, that process is now dead in the water.
The powerful governor of the northern province of Balkh, Mohammad Atta Noor, has warned that if Karzai doesn't take swift action against the Taliban, he will rearm and regroup the Northern Alliance to take on the task.
But who is the enemy? Who will they fight? The war tactic has changed. Taliban fighters seem to have moved off the battlefield and are focusing on more targeted attacks. This year, they've managed to successfully assassinate four key Karzai allies. And the security situation continues to worsen, with violence increasing by nearly 40 per cent over last year.
The capital is tense. A few weeks ago the Taliban mounted an attack on the US embassy and NATO headquarters. Central Kabul is supposedly protected by a "Ring of Steel", fortified checkpoints which are designed to stop attacks on key government buildings and the residences of officials such as Rabbani. But twice it has failed miserably.
Now, with peace talks in disarray and America's influence waning before its troops withdraw in 2014, the future appears bleak for Afghans. After 10 years, many feel very little has been done to eliminate terrorism from the country and region. Afghans fear their country may spiral back into civil war as violent factions battle it out - a recipe for creating another terrorist haven.
At a time of persistent violence, many I spoke to said the West needs to reconsider the timetable for withdrawal. "The world must not repeat its mistakes," said Atta.
"The world must not leave Afghanistan to deal with drugs, smugglers and terrorists. And if the international community doesn't understand this, and Afghanistan has to deal with terrorism on its own, these problems will reach the Western world's most beautiful cities."
Yalda Hakim is a presenter of the SBS international current affairs program Dateline. Her report from Afghanistan will be broadcast on SBS1 at 1pm today and afterwards at www.sbs.com.au/dateline.
Showing posts with label Afghanistan-Pakistan relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghanistan-Pakistan relations. Show all posts
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
In Islamabad "Angry Karzai confronts Pakistan's leaders over Taliban"
Angry Karzai confronts Pakistan's leaders over Taliban
By Saeed Shah
McClatchy Newspapers [via Miami Herald]
February 17, 2012
ISLAMABAD — An angry Afghan President Hamid Karzai confronted the Pakistani leadership Thursday, demanding that it produce Taliban officials for peace talks and underscoring the distrust between Kabul and Islamabad, which stands in the way of a deal to end the decade-long Afghan conflict.
As Karzai's frustration with Pakistan, which he accuses of harboring the Taliban, boiled over, the mercurial Afghan leader's language and tone flared to such an extent that the Pakistani prime minister halted a key meeting of the full delegations of the two countries, according to officials on both sides, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
After a break, top officials reconvened for a smaller meeting, including Karzai, a rocky start to his two-day visit to Islamabad.
The nascent Afghan peace talks depend on the neighbors being able to cooperate, but Karzai has long demanded that Pakistan bring the leadership of the Taliban to the negotiating table, including their chief, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
According to one official who was privy to the discussions Thursday, Karzai bluntly demanded that Pakistan produce Taliban leaders to negotiate with him during his visit, an aggressive stance that shocked the Pakistani side.
The Afghan side's main meeting, which went on for around three hours, was with the combined Pakistani civilian and military leadership. The Pakistani prime minister, foreign minister, army chief and head of the military's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate spy agency were present.
At one point, apparently directing his remarks to Pakistan's foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, Karzai asked: "Would you be willing to stop girls studying in schools and university in Pakistan?"
The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, imposed an extremist interpretation of Islam, stopping girls' education and banning women from working. Kabul and its Western allies believe that Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders have an officially sanctioned haven in Pakistan, giving Islamabad decisive leverage over any negotiations.
Islamabad has denied those charges, and Khar, speaking to a small group of reporters after the meetings, called the accusations "ridiculous."
"We don't have Mullah Omar to bring," Khar said. "That's the crazy perception about Pakistan."
She described the discussions with the Afghan delegation as "hard" and "serious," declining to go into details. Pakistan has said it will back Kabul's peace efforts but has never spelled out what it's capable of delivering. Conversely, Pakistan says that it's unclear what Karzai is demanding of it.
By Saeed Shah
McClatchy Newspapers [via Miami Herald]
February 17, 2012
ISLAMABAD — An angry Afghan President Hamid Karzai confronted the Pakistani leadership Thursday, demanding that it produce Taliban officials for peace talks and underscoring the distrust between Kabul and Islamabad, which stands in the way of a deal to end the decade-long Afghan conflict.
As Karzai's frustration with Pakistan, which he accuses of harboring the Taliban, boiled over, the mercurial Afghan leader's language and tone flared to such an extent that the Pakistani prime minister halted a key meeting of the full delegations of the two countries, according to officials on both sides, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
After a break, top officials reconvened for a smaller meeting, including Karzai, a rocky start to his two-day visit to Islamabad.
The nascent Afghan peace talks depend on the neighbors being able to cooperate, but Karzai has long demanded that Pakistan bring the leadership of the Taliban to the negotiating table, including their chief, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
According to one official who was privy to the discussions Thursday, Karzai bluntly demanded that Pakistan produce Taliban leaders to negotiate with him during his visit, an aggressive stance that shocked the Pakistani side.
The Afghan side's main meeting, which went on for around three hours, was with the combined Pakistani civilian and military leadership. The Pakistani prime minister, foreign minister, army chief and head of the military's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate spy agency were present.
At one point, apparently directing his remarks to Pakistan's foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, Karzai asked: "Would you be willing to stop girls studying in schools and university in Pakistan?"
The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, imposed an extremist interpretation of Islam, stopping girls' education and banning women from working. Kabul and its Western allies believe that Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders have an officially sanctioned haven in Pakistan, giving Islamabad decisive leverage over any negotiations.
Islamabad has denied those charges, and Khar, speaking to a small group of reporters after the meetings, called the accusations "ridiculous."
"We don't have Mullah Omar to bring," Khar said. "That's the crazy perception about Pakistan."
She described the discussions with the Afghan delegation as "hard" and "serious," declining to go into details. Pakistan has said it will back Kabul's peace efforts but has never spelled out what it's capable of delivering. Conversely, Pakistan says that it's unclear what Karzai is demanding of it.
Pakistan's role in Afghan peace process - more on trilateral meeting in Islamabad
Regional Leaders Consider Paths for an Afghan Peace
By Declan Walsh (Islamabad) and Alissa J. Rubin (Kabul)
February 17, 2012
The New York Times
ISLAMABAD - The prospect of talks with the Taliban inched closer on Thursday when the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran met to explore ways of pushing the nascent peace process forward.
The two-day trilateral meeting hosted by the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, comes as his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, claims to have opened direct discussions with the Taliban for the first time in the 11-year-old insurgency.
In an interview published in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, President Karzai said the talks had taken place over the past month thanks to an American-sponsored initiative anchored in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar.
The Taliban, who frequently deride Mr. Karzai as an “American puppet,” denied any such talks had taken place. “The Islamic Emirates have never talked with Kabul’s powerless administration,” said a Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, in an e-mail statement.
Such conflicting statements have become common in a nervy process driven by rumors and speculation and which, at least until now, had all the clarity of a hall of mirrors.
The current talks in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, are significant because all players agree that Pakistan will play a crucial role in determining the success of any talks, largely because the Taliban leaders — and many fighters — are believed to be sheltering in Pakistan’s lawless western region.
Last month Pakistan permitting Taliban representatives, many of whom are believed to be based in or around the cities of Karachi and Quetta, to travel to Qatar to meet with American representatives.
Yet the extent and nature of any Pakistani role in peace talks remain deeply contentious, marred by deep-rooted suspicion among Afghan, Western and even Taliban officials after decades of Pakistani meddling in Afghan affairs.
In Kabul, Western and Afghan officials suggested that Pakistan was using the trilateral meetings to provide a counterweight to American efforts to open a door to negotiations with the Taliban.
The officials speculate that Pakistan may try to set up a meeting between senior Taliban commanders and Mr. Karzai in Pakistan to prove their sincerity in supporting peace and to demonstrate their influence with the Taliban.
Pakistani civilian leaders insist that they are acting in good faith and have thrown their weight behind an “Afghan-led” peace process. “We will not block any process leading towards reconciliation,” the foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, told a small group of reporters late Thursday, referring to the American initiative in Qatar.
“We don’t have a formula for peace talks; in fact I don’t think anyone does yet,” a senior Foreign Ministry official added. “But one thing is clear: It will have to be the Afghans themselves who come up with it.”
Pakistani officials emphasize that they are keen to prove their good faith to their Afghan counterparts. On a recent visit to Kabul, Ms. Khar visited Afghan leaders from ethnic groups that have traditionally been hostile toward Pakistan. Her message, the official said, was the same to each: “Whatever you decide, we will be supportive of you.”
On Thursday, Mr. Zardari told Mr. Karzai that he would extend “full cooperation” to investigators looking into the death of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Mr. Karzai’s main peace negotiator, who was killed in a suicide bombing last year. At the time, many Afghan officials accused Pakistan of orchestrating the assassination.
Pakistan could also leverage its presence in the peace process through its close ally Saudi Arabia, which recently offered to host a second strand of the peace talks in its capital, Riyadh.
A former Obama administration official said the Saudis had proposed the role, expressing unhappiness that Qatar had taken the lead.
On Thursday, Mr. Zardari also held a meeting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, during which he reiterated his commitment for the “expeditious implementation” of a long-delayed gas pipeline between the two countries, Mr. Zardari’s spokesman said.
That statement is likely to discomfit Washington, which has for years trenchantly opposed the gas project, despite energy shortages in Pakistan. Iran and Pakistan also plan to build a major cross-border electricity transmission line, and to raise the level of bilateral trade to $5 billion a year, Mr. Zardari’s spokesman added.
Officials said a summit meeting involving all three presidents, scheduled to take place on Friday, would also focus on other mutual areas of interest, like border controls, economic development and efforts to tackle drug smuggling.
By Declan Walsh (Islamabad) and Alissa J. Rubin (Kabul)
February 17, 2012
The New York Times
ISLAMABAD - The prospect of talks with the Taliban inched closer on Thursday when the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran met to explore ways of pushing the nascent peace process forward.
The two-day trilateral meeting hosted by the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, comes as his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, claims to have opened direct discussions with the Taliban for the first time in the 11-year-old insurgency.
In an interview published in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, President Karzai said the talks had taken place over the past month thanks to an American-sponsored initiative anchored in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar.
The Taliban, who frequently deride Mr. Karzai as an “American puppet,” denied any such talks had taken place. “The Islamic Emirates have never talked with Kabul’s powerless administration,” said a Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, in an e-mail statement.
Such conflicting statements have become common in a nervy process driven by rumors and speculation and which, at least until now, had all the clarity of a hall of mirrors.
The current talks in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, are significant because all players agree that Pakistan will play a crucial role in determining the success of any talks, largely because the Taliban leaders — and many fighters — are believed to be sheltering in Pakistan’s lawless western region.
Last month Pakistan permitting Taliban representatives, many of whom are believed to be based in or around the cities of Karachi and Quetta, to travel to Qatar to meet with American representatives.
Yet the extent and nature of any Pakistani role in peace talks remain deeply contentious, marred by deep-rooted suspicion among Afghan, Western and even Taliban officials after decades of Pakistani meddling in Afghan affairs.
In Kabul, Western and Afghan officials suggested that Pakistan was using the trilateral meetings to provide a counterweight to American efforts to open a door to negotiations with the Taliban.
The officials speculate that Pakistan may try to set up a meeting between senior Taliban commanders and Mr. Karzai in Pakistan to prove their sincerity in supporting peace and to demonstrate their influence with the Taliban.
Pakistani civilian leaders insist that they are acting in good faith and have thrown their weight behind an “Afghan-led” peace process. “We will not block any process leading towards reconciliation,” the foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, told a small group of reporters late Thursday, referring to the American initiative in Qatar.
“We don’t have a formula for peace talks; in fact I don’t think anyone does yet,” a senior Foreign Ministry official added. “But one thing is clear: It will have to be the Afghans themselves who come up with it.”
Pakistani officials emphasize that they are keen to prove their good faith to their Afghan counterparts. On a recent visit to Kabul, Ms. Khar visited Afghan leaders from ethnic groups that have traditionally been hostile toward Pakistan. Her message, the official said, was the same to each: “Whatever you decide, we will be supportive of you.”
On Thursday, Mr. Zardari told Mr. Karzai that he would extend “full cooperation” to investigators looking into the death of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Mr. Karzai’s main peace negotiator, who was killed in a suicide bombing last year. At the time, many Afghan officials accused Pakistan of orchestrating the assassination.
Pakistan could also leverage its presence in the peace process through its close ally Saudi Arabia, which recently offered to host a second strand of the peace talks in its capital, Riyadh.
A former Obama administration official said the Saudis had proposed the role, expressing unhappiness that Qatar had taken the lead.
On Thursday, Mr. Zardari also held a meeting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, during which he reiterated his commitment for the “expeditious implementation” of a long-delayed gas pipeline between the two countries, Mr. Zardari’s spokesman said.
That statement is likely to discomfit Washington, which has for years trenchantly opposed the gas project, despite energy shortages in Pakistan. Iran and Pakistan also plan to build a major cross-border electricity transmission line, and to raise the level of bilateral trade to $5 billion a year, Mr. Zardari’s spokesman added.
Officials said a summit meeting involving all three presidents, scheduled to take place on Friday, would also focus on other mutual areas of interest, like border controls, economic development and efforts to tackle drug smuggling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)