Karzai asks US to back Zardari

[muse]

A Editorial from today's Daily Times


Editorial: Talking to Mullah Umar and Hekmatyar?

The NWFP Governor, Mr Owais Ghani, has asked the United States “to talk to Mullah Omar, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jalaluddin Haqqani, to negotiate peace in Afghanistan”. His contention is that “political stability will only come to Afghanistan when all political power groups, irrespective of the length of their beard, are given their just and due share in the political dispensation in Afghanistan”. He wants the US to know that “all three militant commanders are in Afghanistan”. He also says, though with less credibility, that “Pakistan has no favourites in Afghanistan”.

Alas, Governor Ghani’s assertion that the three warrior chiefs are in Afghanistan has already been challenged by independent observers of the Afghan scene. No matter. It is good that he has come out in the open and claimed a Pakistani strategic stake in Afghanistan.

The US should listen to what he is saying. There is a strong message in his statement. If the US can give India a strategic stake in building up the Northern Alliance Tajiks and Uzbeks in Afghanistan, there is no reason why it can’t do the same for Pakistan and the Pashtuns. It may be recalled that Mullah Umar and the US did not have any problems during the Taliban regime in Kabul in 1997-99 until Osama Bin Laden stepped in and drove a wedge between them by bombing New York. Indeed, the Taliban regime and the US were discussing oil pipelines from Central Asia to Pakistan through Afghanistan at the time. The best way to crush Al Qaeda is to drive a wedge between it and the Afghan Taliban by inviting the latter to sit at the table in Kabul and negotiate a power sharing arrangement with the key stakeholders of Afghanistan. Pakistan can and should play a facilitating role.

 

[Neo]

Afghanistan, Pakistan to work on a joint strategy against terrorism; Karzai ​

NEW YORK, Sep 27 (APP): Afghan President Hamid Karzai Saturday said his country along with Pakistan will work on a joint strategy against terrorism and hoped that the US and other allies will step forward to make it a success. Karzai, whose country faces a growing Taliban insurgency due to lack of governance and nexus between drugs and terrorism, said the Pakistani President has the right inentions.

In an interview with Newsweek, President Karzai who has had two meetings with President Zardari this month said “we should all help President Zardari because he has the right intentions and the right policy for Pakistan and for the region.”

The meetings between the two leaders helped break the ice and defuse tensions that had risen over the past few months between Pakistan and Afghanistan and they reaffirmed their commitment to jointly fight terrorism and to bring peace to the region.

About his talks with President Zardari, the Afghan President said “we will work on a joint strategy against terrorism, and we hope that the United States and the rest of our allies will join us strongly in implementing that strategy to a successful completion.”

President Karzai said his government fully backed the government of President Zardari in his resolve to fight terrorism as it was a legitimate government and need to be backed.

“I have faith in Zardari, and I am sure he will deliver. I am hearing good things about Gen. Kiyani as well. Afghanistan will do everything to give them a sense of confidence,” Karzai added.

President Karzai also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the challenges facing his country. He said the Taliban were not gaining strength, however called for right concentration of political and diplomatic measures to handle the extremists.

He did not agree that mere military means could be used to tackle the militants. “They should have used and kept open all options in order to bring security to Afghanistan and a successful conclusion to the war against terrorism,” Karzai said.

In an apparent reference to the recent killing of around 90 civilians by US troops, Karzai said it was a very serious issue in Afghanistan.

He described the United States as a friend of Afghanistan, but stressed that there have to be changes in the way they operate.

He said the victory lies in training the Afghan police besides a meaningful input of economic assistance to Afghanistan through Afghan institutions.

President Karzai said the Taliban were not being fueled by heroin money and have other sources of income.

“We have been able to bring a decline in poppy production in Afghanistan and reduced poppy production by 19 percent this year.”

Karzai advocated for more US troops in the country. He said “from the very beginning, the Afghan people have been asking for more forces.”

He said the international community has about 60,000 troops in Afghanistan. “What we would ask is that these forces be deployed at the right place, where there is a threat coming to Afghanistan, and that alongside these forces, there must be a lot of concentration on training the Afghan army and the police.”

Karzai replied in affirmative when asked whether he wished to run again for President.