Taliban’s offensive against govt forces: Pakistan concerned over situation in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed serious concern at the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan following Taliban’s major offensive against government forces, claiming to have captured around 154 Afghan districts out of a total 384 districts amid withdrawal of US forces.

The offensive was launched after the US began withdrawing its troops from the war-torn Afghanistan fuelling concerns of chaos prompting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation chairman Abdullah Abdullah to share their concerns with US President Joe Biden in their first meeting in the White House scheduled on Friday.

In the latest offensive against Afghan government forces Taliban have claimed control of around 154 districts and having besieged nearly 100 other districts.

According to unconfirmed Taliban claims, they have taken positions around the provincial capitals of Kunduz, Takhar, Balkh, Faryab, Badghis, Ghor, Farah, Helmand, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghazni, Wardak, Logar, Laghman, Baghlan and Sar-e-Pul with twitter accounts associated with the Taliban sharing videos of their fighters entering and capturing important government installations in provinces such as Balkh, Zabul, Ghazni, Kunduz, Badkhshan and Shari Now district of Paktia.

Sharing Pakistan’s concerns over the situation in a statement on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the situation in Afghanistan is alarming, adding that as a neighbor Pakistan wants peace and stability across the border. Qureshi pointed out that Afghan internal stakeholders are not on one page for peace efforts, ‘which is also alarming’. He said that Afghan President has made changes in his administration by changing the army chief and interior minister which indicates that President Ghani is also not satisfied with the situation.

Qureshi said that as per his interaction with Afghan officials in Turkey recently, the withdrawal of foreign forces may be completed well before the deadline of September 11, 2021. “Progress in the dialogue process is not keeping pace with the continuing withdrawal of foreign forces, which is worrisome,” he said, adding Pakistan wanted withdrawal of the foreign forces and peace process to take place in tandem.

He also made it clear that peace in Afghanistan was a shared responsibility of all stakeholders, adding that responsibility cannot be shifted to Pakistan in case there is no progress in the peace talks.

In response to these concerns, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy-chief for Political Affairs and Head of the Doha Political Office, issued a statement assuring the international community that no threat will be posed by the Taliban to foreign diplomats or to workers of NGOs based in Afghanistan. “Humanitarian NGOs have been carrying out their philanthropic activities in our country in coordination with the Islamic Emirate [Taliban] for a long time now. The Islamic Emirate [Taliban] sees it as its responsibility to provide a safe environment for their constructive works,” he stated.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said, “I would like to point out a fundamental principle i.e. the Islamic Emirate [Taliban] does not allow anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against security of others nor allows others to interfere in our affairs. The people of Afghanistan want to lead an honorable and peaceful life in the world in the light of their Islamic and national values,” Baradar said.

He pointed out that US-Taliban peace agreement paved the way for great opportunities for both sides — leading to release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 of the Kabul administration, commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations, and completion of withdrawal of a great part of foreign troops with withdrawal of the remaining small number underway. “Notwithstanding the hurdles and problems that were faced and being faced during the implementation of the agreement, still it is the only prospect to bring peace to Afghanistan,” Baradar said, urging the US to implement the remaining clauses of the peace deal that include the release of remaining prisoners and removal from the UN Security Council’s sanctions’ lists. “Now as foreign forces are on the verge of completion of withdrawal from Afghanistan, efforts should be made to form a system that caters to the aspirations of the Afghan people for tranquility and prosperity…this is possible only when a system as per the aspirations of the Afghans is set up,” he added.

According to senior analyst Lt Gen Taklat Masood (retd), the latest situation that has emerged in Afghanistan was expected and the US was well aware of such a scenario emerging. “The US was well aware of the Taliban advancement, but the Americans are only concerned about the possibility of resurgence of Daesh or al-Qaeda in Afghanistan,” he said. He pointed out that Taliban have already committed under the peace deal that they would not allow Daesh or other militant groups to use Afghan soil against any other country. “This is a rapidly evolving situation and it would definitely have an impact on Pakistan for which we should be well prepared,” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021