Rhetoric by Karzai
By the Editor

WITHOUT any logical, sound or solid evidence, the Afghan President Hamid Karzai has, once again come out with habitual rhetoric that ‘certain Pakistan circles’ were protecting insurgents fighting in Afghanistan.

Speaking at the inauguration of Afghan Parliament’s new session in Kabul he, however, conceded that drugs and corruption in his Government were contributing towards the mounting violence in Afghanistan.

It’s encouraging that Hamid Karzai has, at last started admitting that drugs and corruption in his administration are contributing towards hostilities in Afghanistan.

Yet, it’s not the whole truth. It’s, in fact, established beyond any shadow of doubt that political injustice, drug mafia, warlords and corrupt State functionaries in Kabul were and are responsible for the deplorable state of affairs in Afghanistan.

The existence of menaces like drugs and corruption in his Government has obviously taken Karzai quite a time to admit.

But, better late than never. Amid such an overt confession, one hopes that Karzai will also soon realize and concede other home-grown factors responsible for the deteriorating situation in the war-torn country.

Injustice and deprivation of legitimate rights of the majority of people of Afghanistan was bound to flung into the face of the Karzai Government sooner or latter.

And that is what is focusing in the form of violence with a swift pace. The Afghan insurgency is thus not the external factor, but is stemming from the mishandling of the situation by the occupation forces as well as by the Karzai Government itself.

It would be, therefore, appropriate for Mr Karzai to also accept this truth as he has done about drugs and corruption in his administration.

Mud-slinging or blame game is not going to help improve the situation in Afghanistan. The US and the Afghan rulers will have to rectify the blunders that they have committed over the past five years. Pakistan wants peace and stability in its neighborhood.

It has taken series of steps for this purpose. Apart from deploying 80,000 troops, it has opted to install sensitive monitoring system along the Pak-Afghan border, besides going for selective mining and fencing to prevent cross-border movement.

Pakistan is convinced that a stable and developed Afghanistan is not only in Pakistan’s interest but also for the entire region.

It’s, therefore, unfortunate that the Afghan President continues with his rhetoric without rhyme or reason.

We feel optimistic that wisdom will soon dawn on the Afghan leadership to shun the tendency of seeing the ground realities with jaundiced eye.●