A fly in the ointment
THE Indian role in the training of the Afghan National Army, reportedly following a tussle between the NATO and European countries with troops in Afghanistan, will not serve the cause of peace and stability in the region. This has enabled New Delhi to take advantage and entrench itself in the Karzai Administration. The US thinking that New Delhi can hold the fort once it is gone, neglecting Pakistan’s security paradigm and also the consequences it would have for Afghanistan itself is in all conscience a harbinger for doom. India should have no role whatsoever in Afghanistan, since in its reckless pursuit of extending its hegemony, it would further create problems for the region.
New Delhi is not there to alleviate poverty or help the people in any way. Its presence there is purely Pakistan-centric, as it wants to squeeze the country between the two fronts. Already in the name of training the Afghan Army, it is involved in arming militant outfits to foster criminal violence in Pakistan. Apart from several acts of violence including deadly blasts in which scores of innocent Pakistanis have died, by and large, this Man Friday of the US is focusing its energies on fuelling insurgency in Balochistan and directly weakening our federation. The Interior Ministry has now firm evidence of RAW’s subversive activities including training rogue elements in tribal areas to spark unrest throughout the country. Therefore, the US gameplan of giving India a greater say in Afghan affairs and politics will turn out to be highly counterproductive. Any post-withdrawal arrangement that tends to ignore Pakistan’s strategic concerns or give it a back seat in the political process will not stand much chance of success, given the cultural and geographical proximity of both the countries. Afghans, be they Pushtuns or Tajiks or any other group, feel a greater sense of affinity with their Pakistani brethren and vice-versa, something that has held the two nations together in brotherly bond for ages.
There is every reason to believe that our role, as opposed to that of India would advance the purpose of establishing peace and security in the country and beyond. According to some unconfirmed reports, Islamabad is also engaged in the pursuit of a political settlement in Afghanistan, and it has been bringing some sections of the Afghan resistance to the conference table. So at the end of the day, if the US backstabs Pakistan and allows self-seeking opportunist India to go about its vicious ways, the war-torn country’s problems would be further compounded.
A fly in the ointment
A fly in the ointment
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