Bricks for Bouquets!
By the Editor

PAKISTAN has rejected Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s unjust and baseless allegations of interference in Afghanistan—with the remarks that it has become a habitual routine with Kabul to blame Islamabad for its own failings.

Besides Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Ms Tasneem Aslam during weekly briefing to media, the Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri had, earlier repudiated the charge while winding up debate on foreign policy in the Senate. It’s rather coordinating fight against terror with Kabul, he observed.

To recap—almost 100 people were killed in two of the fiercest days of resistance in Afghanistan since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban. According to reports hundreds of Mujahideen attacked a southern town and fighting flared across the country.

As the resistant against foreign occupation of Afghanistan is growing day-by-day, President Hamid Karzai is finding refuge behind—a non-stop accusation of Pakistan.

Of-late, he renewed his baseless criticism of Pakistan claiming that the neighbouring country was training ‘militants and sending them over the border’.

There are all indications that the countrywide resistance against the occupation forces and their collaborators is gaining momentum. Who knows better than Karzai that Pukhtoons never compromised their sovereignty—and always stood against aggression and suppression.

To dub the rising resistance as activities of a few hundred Taliban amounts to over-simplification of the situation. In fact, the entire Afghan nation minus, of-course, elements of Northern Alliance—who are lackeys of the United States and helping them consolidate their hold of the country, is fully resolved to regain their genuine sovereignty.

There is also no doubt about the fact that the Government of Hamid Karzai is restricted to capital Kabul alone and the rest of the country is being ruled by different warlords.

Under these circumstances—it is ignominious on the part of President Karzai to point accusing fingers towards Pakistan. While doing so he has conveniently forgotten that apart from doing utmost in the war against terror, Pakistan extended whole-hearted cooperation to ensure smooth elections in Afghanistan and is providing vital assistance to Karzai to sustain his rule.

But compulsions of Karzai are also understandable as he has virtually become prisoner in the hands of occupation forces and the clique of Northern Alliance trouble-makers.

First of all it is a fact that militants are crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan and carrying out terrorist activities on our soil. These also include agents trained by Indians.

Secondly, even if some elements are entering Afghanistan from Pakistan then—it is the duty of Afghanistan and the occupation forces which have all sorts of surveillance equipment and technology to monitor and check such movements.

Pakistan has already deployed troops along the Durand Line and caught hundreds of foreigners.

We have a question for Karzai—why not to fence and mine the border to bring to an end such wild allegations—as he has posed? If Afghans are getting training here then why Karzai Government is not willing to arrange settlement of all the refugees—who are still here creating economic as well as law and order problem for Pakistan?

Seemingly, Hamid Karzai believes in the axiom which says—shifting of responsibility is easy—but taking bold steps is a difficult and taxing task.
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As a matter of fact, Pakistan has demonstrated sobriety and has not responded to Karzai’s vituperative statement in the same coin—which represents its leadership’s maturity to keep cool even in the face of Afghan provocation.

Virtually, Karzai’s statement is quite irritating besides being a sheer pack of lies and unfair allegations. Though his outbursts deserved sharp reaction—yet the avoidance of tit for tat response by Pakistan represents its wise and thorough approach in keeping with its role as a front-line State.

Pakistan has become used to the Afghan tactics of blackmail and passing on the buck of its own failings and weaknesses on to Pakistan—in one way or the other. Pakistan has, however, come a long way in its dealing with Afghanistan over the past six decades—during which it has invariably received bricks for the bouquets.

Kabul has seldom missed any opportunity to create problems for Pakistan right from the beginning.

Whether its Pakhtoonistan stunt or the Indo-Afghan collusion to destabilise Balochistan—Pakistan has remained at the receiving end all through the six decades since its independence.

On the contrary—Pakistan has seldom responded harshly. It has always facilitated Afghanistan in deference to its land-locked position and has been helpful in its efforts for socio-economic development.

Karazai is ought to remember that—it was Pakistan that was instrumental in Afghan’s liberation from Soviet occupation—besides providing shelter and succour to millions of Afghan refugees on its soil.

It’s again Pakistan that is fighting terrorism for Afghanistan’s sake. That it has not reacted with knee-jerk response obviously manifests a positive approach to the situation on its part.

Pakistan has done well in keeping its cool as any harsh response would have afforded opportunity to India—to exploit. It’s, however, time that Afghanistan should also show a sense of propriety in its dealings with Pakistan. It ought to learn to accept—its own failings and blunders and shun the tendency of shifting responsibility on to Pakistan with no rhyme or reason.

It’s not only Afghanistan that is terrorists’ target—Pakistan too is facing terrorism in the same way.

Amid this scenario, wisdom demands that Afghan rulers—with Karzai atop—should try to deal with the situation with a sense of prudence—rather than resorting to mud-slinging against their matchless benefactor—Pakistan.●