Zubair Qureshi
Experts from Pakistan, Turkey and Iran while participating in a webinar opined that only a rationally inclusive government in Kabul would lead to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.
It is a good sign that Taliban are behaving in a mature way this time and also talking to the neighbouring countries. They have a more rational approach towards their own people from different segments of the society.
They expressed these views while speaking at a webinar on “Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Challenges for the Region” organized by the Development Communications Network (Devcom Pakistan) and DTN.
Taliban’s brisk takeover of the country without any strong resistance from the Afghan army has shown Taliban’s wide acceptance in their country.
For some, Taliban’s takeover could have been planned by some external forces to create chaos in the region against China’s aggressive economic moves.
However, the experts believed that only infrastructural and economic development in Afghanistan would lead to peace and prosperity in the region.
All the neighbouring countries should support the government in Afghanistan that is acceptable to the natives. Panelists from Pakistan, Turkey and Iran participated in the webinar.
The key experts included chairman Senate Standing Committee on Defense Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, geopolitical analyst former ISI Chief Lt Gen (R) Asad Durrani, Director of Middle Eastern Studies Center (ORSAM) in Ankara and professor of Political Sociology in Istanbul University Prof. Dr. Ahmet Uysal, Director South Asian Studies at Tehran International Studies and Research Institute Dr. Somaye Morovati, and chief executive officer Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KP BIOT) Hassan Daud Butt. Devcom Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed hosted and conducted the webinar.
According to Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, the US squandered $ 6.4 trillion on ‘war on terror’ including $ 2.2 trillion in Afghanistan, almost $ 100 billion on 300,000-strong Afghan Army and Air Force, which roughly means spending $ 100 billion every month on the Afghan War for the last 20 years.
Despite huge investments the US could not build a strong defense in Afghanistan that is a monumental failure of a super power.
Gen Asad Durrani said the spillover of Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan was expected in Pakistan.
The elements shall be taken to confidence and their concerns shall be addressed according to the state’s interests. The Taliban’s takeover is not unexpected. They had actually won the negotiations but were waiting for the moment.
It seems that the US has intentionally provided the Taliban an opportunity to take over and lead to a civil war in Afghanistan.
Taliban this time have shown maturity and he believed the consensus of the Afghan tribes would play a significant role for the future of the country.
Prof Dr. Ahmet Uysal said the main losers in Afghanistan were the US in particular and the NATO countries while the West overall.
That is because the US and its allies invested in the Afghanistan invasion at the heart of Asia hoping to establish a unipolar Western hegemony along with the invasion in Iraq, but they failed miserably.
The second loser is India that invaded the old corrupt Afghan government to contain Pakistan, and to reach Central Asian markets.
