US-Afghan strategic accord

 President Obama`s surprise visit to Kabul, on the eve of Osama Bin Laden`s death anniversary, bought news of a strategic agreement signed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
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 The whole game of the Obama Administration seems to be targeting Pakistan after guaranteeing a permanent presence in Afghanistan with the connivance of Hamid Karzai. The strategic pact was finalised between Obama and Karzai on the eve of sudden and unscheduled visit of the former to Kabul, on May 2, 2012. As reported in the media, one of the items of the pact is, “The US has the right to take action militarily if some one interferes in Afghanistan to harm the US interests there”. America is already blaming Pakistan of having hide-outs of terrorists in its tribal areas, wherefrom they are intruding into Afghanistan for attacking the allied forces on the other side of the border. She is particularly fingering at the Haqqani network, which has been so vigorously portrayed by the Western media to force Pakistan to start military operation in the North Waziristan against its own faithful tribal citizens. In view of this pact it now becomes a very easy job for the occupying forces to produce an undeniable proof against Pakistan for intrusion into Afghanistan and hurting American interests. It is easy for them to make an explosion and killing a dozen Afghans at the border area and then blame Pakistan for the mishap. With a few such incidents, America will clear its way for direct interference into Pakistan where it has two priority targets, the Nukes and Balochistan. We understand that strongest lobby in the US is the Zionist Jews, who from the very first day are inimical to Pakistan, an Islamic state with an ideology and now possessing the nuclear weapon. Whatever party is in power in America, it cannot reject the policies that are dictated to it by the powerful Zionist lobby. We also understand that our western neighbour is continuously struggling to create problems for Pakistan and leaves no chance of harming our interests. It has already been doing lot of damage to the detriment of our solidarity in the province of Balochistan in addition to the water terrorism where it diverts our rivers. The US, the Israel and India are on the same frequency in following the nefarious agenda in Balochistan. For the above two goals the troika has been doing a number of activities in Pakistan through their open and covert agents engaged by RAW and the CIA. Even the responsible people in the ruling class like Rehman Malik have time and again admitted the active presence of these elements in the country. The people who have stood in rebellion against the state of Pakistan are being supported by the foreign powers having inimical sentiments against Pakistan. Barahamdagh Bugti is one example, who has been given a VIP protocol and has been termed from the UN forum as to be a leader of Balochistan, struggling for the independence of his ‘country’. People like Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and his partners are zealously active in blowing the issue of Balochistan out of proportion. This man has the backing of the Jews and support of the anti-Pak and pro-Indian lobby in the American Congress. There is no denying the fact that the successive governments at home have not fulfilled their responsibilities regarding securing the rights of the Baloch nation, nor serious attempts have ever been made for the uplift of that province. Even the present rulers have done nothing albeit making false promises of Huqooq-e-Balochistan. The conditions have been made so much conducive for the alien forces that they have now a free hand to do what they like to. On the other hand the rulers are busy in looting the state and corruption is rampant throughout the country and within all the state institutions. The clean and honest officers who are unearthing the corruption of high-ups are being transferred and dislocated so that no inquiry can be effectively implemented in a number of cases where the ruling class is involved. The Prime Minister convicted for continuously defying the orders of the apex court, instead of stepping down has been organising open demonstrations through his Jiyalas against the judiciary. There can hardly be any country in this civilized era where the state Premier comes out openly and challenges the courts in open political gatherings. The Prime Minister should have had sufficient moral strength to resign there and then when he first came to know the involvement of his two sons in mega corruption cases. Instead he hurried to replace the honest team of officers carrying out the investigation. In view of the coming election the rulers have been busy in merciless distribution of national money to its voters and party cronies in different names like Benazir Support Programme etc.

The party leaders of the local level have been provided with huge funds to distribute water supply pipes and other material to their voters. This has provided ample chances of embezzlement and kickbacks to the people belonging to the ruling parties. It is the duty of the Election Commission of Pakistan to take notice of this plunder since it is done for getting votes of the beneficiaries. This is an open rigging of the election to come. The security concerns are still there. There is no merit and appointments to various posts are done either on the basis of party affiliation or the posts are sold out at very higher prices. Thus the internal situation has become very precarious and the country is very much vulnerable to foreign interference. America is extending its embassy’s premises in Islamabad to make another Islamabad therein. No body is going to ask as to what for she is doing this. Is it not proving that the US will be accommodating its “Blackwaters” and “Xes” in these sophisticated hide-outs to be called for when it starts attacking our Kahuta installations (God forbid). Is there anybody in the mob of these effete rulers to stop America making defence garrisons in the name of embassy extension? This situation calls for immediate remedial steps and the responsibility comes first on the ruling parties and then on all the political entities. Unfortunately there seems very little will amongst the politicians to give a second thought to what they are doing. Situation cannot improve until we start giving preference to national cause rather than to our own interest. There is a need that we strive for the establishment of a system of justice and allow the law to take its course without applying political pressure for saving the criminals. If we can ensure internal coherence and solidarity, there will be very little chance for the foreign elements to interfere and succeed in damaging our national interest. Contrary to it, the alien forces will succeed in their designs when our rulers and politicians are in the habit of seeking self interest at the cost of national priorities.
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 By Mohammad Fahim
 mfaheem@yahoo.com

The Frontier Post
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Afghanistan is not a US colony!

 US President Barack Obama is pledging not to rush to the drawdown in Afghanistan, and wants to pull out from there in a responsible way. Nevertheless, the ground realities present a gloomy picture.
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Hell is empty and all the devils are here

 

 

 A country robbed of peace and bereft of aspirations, Afghanistan seems to be plunging more and more into a pitiful morass of grievances brought about by the military madness the US troops exhibit in the beleaguered land with brazen-faced contumely.

One such instance of military insanity is reflected in the two-year-old photographs recently published by the Los Angeles Times which show US soldiers posing with the mangled bodies of Afghan militants.

These repugnant photos dealt a rapid blow to US-Afghan relations at a time when Washington seeks a strategic deal with Afghan President Hamed Karzai to maintain a presence in the country after the 2014 pullout of most foreign combat troops.

Karzai slammed the photographs as “inhuman” on Thursday, calling for a rapid transition from NATO to Afghan security in order to stall further similar incidents. A statement issued by Karzai’s office says, “The Afghan president emphasized that the only way to prevent such bitter experiences in the future is a quick and complete security transition from foreign forces.”

The 18 photos were provided by a soldier who served in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne’s 4th Brigade Combat Team from Ft. Bragg, N.C. who believed that the photos “point to a breakdown in leadership and discipline.”

Apart from the rage these revolting photos sparked all across Afghanistan and the aversion they created in the international community, these photos represent the absurdity and the devastating nature of a war initially waged in the name of de-talibanizing the country at the hands of those who have lost the very quintessence of humanity.

In 2010, a group of US soldiers made up a kill team and decided to go on a shooting spree in the neighborhood. Stationed in Kandahar, they went for a human hunt all for the sake of gratifying a mad passion neighing in their breasts. With no fear for any pangs of conscience that might later prick them to death, two men of Bravo Company, Cpl. Jeremy Morlock and Pfc. Andrew Holmes embarked on their devilish journey until they reached La Mohammad Kalay, an isolated farming village. They caught sight of a young Afghan whose age could not possibly exceed 15. His name was Gul Mudin. The young boy was killed in cold blood and his blood-stained body was used by the same soldiers to pose for photos. In an unnamable act, Pfc. Andrew Holmes then cut off the Afghan’s pinky for a keepsake. Later, it transpired that the US soldiers in his Platoon “[threw] candy out of a Stryker vehicle as they drove through a village [and shot] children who came running to pick up the sweets.” Later, Spiegel Online published some of these photos.

Desecrating the dead in Afghanistan by US soldiers is nothing new. In another inhuman act, a 40-second clip shows four men in combat gear urinating on three dead bodies.

They are also heard to say jokingly, 'Have a great day, buddy', 'Golden like a shower' and 'Yeahhhh!'

It is very shocking to note that there is no limit to their insult. In February, US soldiers at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan burned some copies of the Holy Quran.

Hatred for the US government is on the rise in Afghanistan. Any iota of optimism that Washington launched an expedition into the country in order to wipe out the Taliban and give the Afghans a breath of freedom is obsolete now. The Afghan people’s cognizance of US agenda in the country may be next to nothing but they now know the sadistic-fetishistic acts the US troops perform on dead bodies in the country are an egregious affront to the Afghans in the first place and a desecration of all qualities revered by every sensible person in the second.

Colonialism has run its course. Yet, the US troops in Afghanistan have travelled back in time when Americans colonized people through the malicious practices of serfdom, indentured servitude and debt bondage and treated them as chattels. Figuratively speaking, they built their houses on the bones of their slaves.

But Afghanistan is not a US colony!

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  Islam Times

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Afghanistan A war gone awry!

 The Afghans have always guarded their independence too jealously, and throughout its recorded history no power could subjugate them except for a brief period as in case of British or later Soviet occuption.
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US President Barack Obama is pledging not to rush to the drawdown in Afghanistan, and wants to pull out from there in a responsible way. Nevertheless, the ground realities present a gloomy picture. On Sunday, explosions and gunfire rocked the Afghan capital, as suicide bombers struck across Afghanistan in coordinated attacks claimed by Taliban insurgents as the start of a spring offensive. The US, British, German and Japanese embassies compounds came under fire as militants attacked the city's diplomatic enclave and tried to storm the Parliament. This knocks the bottom out of their pretense of having raised formidable Afghan forces, and also establishes conclusively that they have failed to achieve any of their targets. The attacks will raise fears over the precarious security situation in Afghanistan as NATO prepares to withdraw its 130,000 troops by the end of 2014 and hand over the responsibility for the security to Afghan forces.
From the statements from State Department, Pentagon and the CIA, it appears that they are not on the same page, or there is lack of coordination between them. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the attacks were not planned in Pakistan. US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said that they did not have any intelligence yet on whether the Kabul attack was planned in Pakistan. US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta did not name Pakistan yet he stated that Haqqani group exists on both sides of the border. As expected, the CIA raised the finger of accusation towards Pakistan for the attacks in Kabul. It is, indeed, failure of NATO forces, Afghan forces and Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, as 20 odd insurgents could enter their most sensitive and most protected areas in Kabul. To cover up their failure, it is possible that the CIA would pick up three to four suspects and force them to give confessional statement involving the ISI.

Saner elements have been warning from the day one that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict, and instead of killing people the United States should allow dialogue to succeed in finding a durable solution. But the trigger-happy and inebriated super power did not pay heed to such warnings. This is despite the fact that the British colonialists in the last millennium, and erstwhile super power Soviet Union in late 1970s had learnt the same lesson that Afghans never compromise on their independence and sovereignty. But Americans together with Britain and some of their other cohorts are bent upon repeating the same mistakes. They have brutally bombed Afghanistan and killed thousands of innocent people, including women and children. As the great majority of Afghan people are united in their struggle to get rid of foreign invaders, the prospects of an honourable exit of occupiers from Afghanistan look bleak.
Americans seem to be wary of the protracted war. A latest opinion poll tells over 60 per cent of American people consider the Afghan war not worth the costs. And some 54 per cent of them want their troops back home quickly, much earlier than the 2014 deadline. Last month, the Economist in its report on Afghanistan stated: "Western ambitions in Afghanistan have shrunk to a level so modest that they hardly seem commensurate with the investment of blood and treasure". 

 Watching all this closely are the Taliban. They are aware of the intentions of Western donors to scale back a proposed 352,000-strong Afghan security force, which is supposed to ensure the survival of the Kabul regime after 2014. The question is who will foot the bill to sustain such a large army. The question also is that when US and NATO forces, Afghan forces and Afghan police could not rein in the Taliban, how Afghan forces alone would establish the writ of the state.
Afghans have always guarded their independence too jealously, and throughout its recorded history no power could subjugate them except for a brief period as in case of British or later Soviet occupation. The result of three Anglo-Afghan wars was either defeat of the British Empire or at the most what it called a tactical victory. In 1970s, former Soviet Union had occupied Afghanistan on the pretext that Afghan government led by President Taraki had requested to send two battalions for his personal security because he smelled conspiracy from Hafizullah Amin who was suspected of being an American agent. Anyhow, Soviet army had to face stiff resistance by Afghans, and the US on finding an opportunity to make Afghanistan Soviet Union's Vietnam' tried to channelize the Afghans' energies and their passion for jihad. Using international media, jihadis from all over the world, especially from Arab countries, were inspired, motivated and funded by the US. Pakistan was indeed the frontline state against Communism.

 If history is any guide, nobody should make long-term plans to stay in Afghanistan. If the US is looking for an honourable exit, it should facilitate the Northern Alliance and Pakhtuns to agree on a working relationship to avoid civil war. Syndicated columnist George Will in one of his columns quoted Military historian Max Hastings who said: "Kabul controls only about a third of the country - control is an elastic concept - and Afghans may prove no more viable than were Vietnamese, the Saigon regime". It is too well known that Afghanistan never had a strong central government; it does not have industry to provide jobs to the unemployed. Secondly, its entire economy is based on illegal production of poppy, which the US and NATO forces have failed to stop.

To make it worse, corruption has eaten into the vitals of the state organs. There is a general perception in America and elsewhere that President Karzai has failed to rein in the warlords, drug producers and drug-traffickers.
Coming back to President Barack Obama's vow in 2009 that America would start withdrawing its forces from July 2011, many considered it as a political statement meant to convey an impression to Americans that with the additional troops, insurgency would be controlled. But NATO countries are demoralized that after 10 years of occupation and using all types of arsenal at their disposal they could not break the will of Afghan people. And they know that history is not on their side. Dutch completed the mission and went; Germany, Australia, Denmark and few others wish to withdraw as soon as possible.
The moot question is that after their withdrawal who will fill the vacuum? According to a report carried by the The Independent', Moscow is engaged in training the Afghan army and counter-narcotics troops and has agreed in principle to supply NATO with several dozen helicopters for use in Afghanistan. But who stands to gain ultimately? Russia, and not America.
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By Mohammad Jamil

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This Senseless War

On March 11, 2012, a US army sergeant, without any provocation, methodically killed 16 unarmed civilians, nine of them children, in three villages in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province. Some of the bodies had single, execution-style bullet wounds in the head. The villagers had barricaded themselves in their homes, blocking the doors with odd pieces of furniture in a vain attempt to protect themselves and their womenfolk from the attacker. According to reports, US soldiers, often under the influence of drink, roam the streets and nobody feels safe. Afghan women are paralysed with the all too justified fear of being raped.

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First, it was the incident of the US marines’ urinating on the dead bodies of the alleged Taliban fighters. Then it was the burning of the copies of the Holy Quran that sparked massive demonstrations and killings in Kabul and elsewhere. And now the wanton killing of 16 innocent Afghans, including women and children, by a serving US soldier.

Tragically enough, he did not stop at that. When he had killed his targets, he collected the bodies, lit a match, and set them on fire. Bravo, young soldier! Your country is proud of you -the country that is dubbed as land of the free and home of the brave. What a bravado and what a nonsense.

The drone attacks on the Pak-Afghan border and the regular midnight Special Forces operations in the volatile Afghan provinces are only routine news items now, that both the media and masses take for granted. The official reaction to this incident was also a routine one. The refugee-turned-businessman-turned-puppet, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, called it as an “assassination” and “furiously” demanded an explanation from Washington. The man in the Oval House, on the other hand, phoned Karzai and expressed his “shock and sadness at the killing and wounding of Afghan civilians.” How convenient!

Initially, the name and rank of the said sergeant was kept secret due to “safety reasons”. In fact, he was “safely” flown out of Afghanistan to his home country. And why not? He is, after all, a serving US soldier. What if the somnambulate GI killed a handful of Afghan civilians? It is a war. People do get killed in a war. Yes, they do. But not like that. You cannot even call it a collateral damage. It is just one beastly act of barbarism and butchery.

Questions are raised whether it was an individual act or a teamwork. It seems a bit immaterial. One is enough, when he has got a gun and other lethal weaponry in his armour gear - and especially, when the targets are fast asleep. A death squad of the US soldiers in Afghanistan has, nonetheless, been uncovered a few months back, which was found guilty of killing at least three pedestrians.

The sergeant is said to have served thrice in the Iraq war. God knows how many “terrorists” he would have killed there in his attempt to “liberate” Iraq out of the clutches of the ruthless, Saddam Hussein, and to introduce his country’s demonic brand of democracy. They say he was drunk; that he had a row with his wife on the night; that he had domestic problems; that he was suffering from stress; and that he simply snapped. That is to say, he was a perfect example of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). That must be so!

He must be having nightmares about his past. No question about his derangement and dementia either. Uncle Sam is just so good at producing such invertebrate nephews. Every time it indulges in war, it generates a fresh breed of PTSD patients - right from the Korean War in 1950 to the wars in Formosa, Vietnam, Haiti, Cambodia, El Salvador, and Panama and so on and so forth.

Overall, there seems no prospects for an immediate solution to the Afghan problem. Just the other day, the Taliban announced its withdrawal from the negotiations due to its snail-paced progress. Also, there seems a strange paradox to the Afghan conundrum.

Karzai and his coterie just cannot survive without the US help. While insofar as there is the US presence in the country, there will continue to be the Taliban resistance. That is to say, unless the US withdraws its combat forces, there won’t be any peace. One can take a cue from the Iraq war. As soon as the US withdrew its forces from the country, a palpable decrease in violence was witnessed.

In a sense, the US, which deems itself part of the solution, is more like part of the problem now. And that is only natural for a country that is harbouring pro-Muslim sentiments on paper and anti-Muslim ambitions on the ground.

As for the Pak-US relations, they are at the all-time low. The supply line is still closed. The Shamsi Airbase is evacuated. There is no US aid to our armed forces anymore. The drone attacks were stopped for a while, but they are again gaining momentum. However, if there has been some tacit understanding between the two governments, one just does not know. We also do not see the frequent visits of the US army generals and CIA top guns to our GHQ, since the retirement of Admiral Mike Mullen.

As for the Pak-Afghan relations, they are hanging in the balance as always. We have, perhaps, never had any good relations with Afghanistan during our entire history. Or if we had, it was only during the rule of the Taliban, when no one really recognised the country, except the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. There have always been rows over the border - the Durand Line - killings, crossings, the Pakhtunkhwa issue, accusations of meddling in each other’s affairs and suchlike matters.

War, strife and mutual bickering are not a solution to any problem. It does not profit anybody - not the US, Afghanistan, Pakistan or even the Taliban. Whenever there is a war, there is a tragedy - the like of which we just witnessed on March 11, when the US soldier massacred 16 innocent civilians. Either the leaders of the three countries lack imagination and are incapable of coming up with a practical solution. Or they simply don’t want to solve the problem, but only to maintain the status quo. Either way, the tragedy goes on unabated!

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 By Sami ur Rahman. 

The Nation is Lahore-based English-language newspaper in Pakistan

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