Had only the rightwing press criticized the US role in Afghanistan, I would have believed that the propaganda is malicious. Unfortunately some liberal, optimistic, and positive writers (including my friend Ayaz Amir) have not hailed the US for what it has done in that country.
At a social, but exclusive, gathering a group of journalists, civil society activists, politicians, and diplomats candidly shared their concerns about Afghanistan, which gave rise to a very enlightening debate.
The most important question, and the most fundamental too, was why has the US failed in controlling the situation in Afghanistan? Why there is no sign of political stability yet? A diplomat who has vast experience of working in Afghanistan answered the question. He was of the view that the situation in Afghanistan needs to be analyzed in different phases. In the first phase, the US objective was to overthrow the tyrant regime of the Taliban. The US has been successful in that. The people of Afghanistan welcomed the US intervention.
The next phase was establishing a democratic government. The Bonn Agreement, the Loya Jirga, and the presidential elections made this phase successful. Hamid Karzai represents the will of the people of Afghanistan. The preparations for the parliamentary elections are underway, and it is hoped that they will be held successfully.
The most difficult phase, which the US is currently going through, is the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been destroyed by a long war of 23 years, and reconstruction in such circumstances is a great challenge. The US has set some short term and some long-term development goals, but prioritizing them is difficult.
The diplomat did not agree with the notion that the US was undertaking the construction of roads and highways to enhance mobility of its troops and was not bothered about the development needs like sanitation, water supplies, employment, and environmental degradation. Neither did the diplomat agree with the view that Karzai’s writ was confined to his palace. ‘Dealing with the powerful warlords like Ismail Khan and General Fahim was the most difficult political task. Karzai removed both from their respective positions (Ismail Khan was the governor of Herat and General Fahim was the Defense Minister.) and they both accepted his decision. Moreover, it is wrong to say that Karzai’s writ is not beyond his palace. It extends to every part of Afghanistan.’
The popular perceptions are the Pak-Afghan relations have worsened ever since the US attack on Afghanistan, and the US has failed in its war against terror since bin Laden is still at large. Countering these perceptions, the diplomat said: ‘The Pak-Afghan ties have improved. Look at the trade between the two countries. It has increased to a significant extent. Afghanistan has provided employment to a large number of unemployed Pakistanis.’
Responding to why bin Laden has not been arrested yet, the diplomat concluded: ‘Bin Laden is not using any communications equipment that could help the US trace him. If he is not planning any activity, it is almost impossible to arrest him. But the US has been successful in destroying the al-Qaeda’s network in Afghanistan.’
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