PRIME Minister Imran Khan, who is known for making bold and forthright comments, Tuesday regretted Pakistan’s decision to join America’s 20 year-long ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan, saying it was not made in public interest but ‘for dollars’.
Addressing officers of Foreign Office after it successfully organized the extraordinary session of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ conference, he termed the decision as a self-inflicted wound.
The Prime Minister has surely represented the true feelings of the people on this crucial issue as the country is still trying to cope with the consequences and implications of the decision to participate in a so-called war imposed by the world’s only superpower to pursue its own regional agenda.
It was, in fact, jaundiced thinking to have compromised national sovereignty and dignity for the sake of dollars.
No doubt, the country received money but its impact on the national economy and life of the people is not visible whereas the fallout of the decision to fight others’ wars has created enormous challenges for the economy.
Apart from direct consequences like loss of precious lives, the country suffered huge financial and economic losses because of lost opportunities, precarious security and law and order situation, bomb blasts, target killings, deepening sectarian divide and dampening investment prospects.
We also lost goodwill with the Afghan people but could not get due recognition of our role despite frantic efforts made to sustain the war within the limited resources and capabilities.
Throughout the last 20 years, Americans have been making demands to ‘do more’ and avoided to fulfil their commitments especially with regard to reimbursement of the expenditure, the country incurred on the war on terror.
Though the decision itself was not wise but even then there is a predominant view that Pakistan leadership could not strike a bargain and our willingness to join the war (when asked whether Pakistan was ‘with us or against us’) surprised Americans as well.
The country always suffers when unilateral decisions are taken by individuals ignoring national will, aspirations of the people and institutions like Parliament.
If we are really interested to say goodbye to this tendency, the decision making should be vested with Parliament which should get input from all relevant institutions, thoroughly discuss pros and cons of policies and issues and then take a collective decision that is owned by the nation.
