ISLAMABAD: Ahmad Wali Massoud, chairman, Massoud Foundation of Afghanistan, Friday emphasised the need for a "responsible" exit of the United States from Afghanistan following an inclusive setup agreed to all Afghan ethnic groups is in placed.
The visiting former Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Kingdom, who is younger brother of the late Afghan military commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, was speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) at a public talk, organised by its Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa (CAMEA).
In a response to a question about the prospects of the US troops withdrawal from the war-torn Afghanistan, Ahmad Wali Massoud expressed the hope that the new US administration of President Joe Biden will honour the commitments, but insisted on the responsible exist of the US from Afghanistan by not repeating the past mistake of 1989, when the country was abandoned that resulted into chaos.
Massoud said he shared Pakistan's stance regarding the need for a responsible US exit from Afghanistan, as it was the people of the region who would face the repercussions of a hasty withdrawal.
He said peace in Afghanistan was a precursor for peace and stability in the entire region.
He was also not optimistic with regards to the success of the peace talks in Doha, describing it as a "wrong bus" to drive in and instead emphasised on the need for a proper roadmap for an inclusive set up agreed to all the Afghans and various ethnic groups through a dialogue process where people of Afghanistan should have a say.
"Currently, the talks are under way and on one side there is President Ashraf Ghani's government, while on other side of the table is the Taliban movement. Rather, we need peace for the people, and not only for the government," he asserted.
About the situation in Afghanistan, Massoud said that a strong government in Kabul was the first pillar of peace in Afghanistan. This entails a formula based on a decentralised system rooted in the social fabric of Afghanistan because only when people from different ethnicities are present within the fold of the system; sustainable consensus can be achieved and hence a strong institution can be built.
He stressed the importance of achieving consensus democracy where the people were their own representatives. Massoud referred to the special bond Pakistan and Afghanistan share; be it politics, economics, security, culture and religion, saying dialogue between the two countries was very important because direct discourse would strengthen the prospects for peace.
He said that like any other relationship, there were always conflicts of interests and instead of wasting time on them, competing claims from all sides should be put on the table and resolved.
"If we have a strong government in placed in Kabul, having a balanced approach and an independent foreign policy, no other country will be able to fight their proxy wars from the Afghan soil," he asserted.
He said a balanced approach was required so that Afghanistan was not perceived as a threat nor used as a strategic tool by any country. "By doing so, balance could be achieved internally as well as externally," he added.
He added that both Pakistan and Afghanistan needed to define their security and economic relations, understand each others views, build trust and subsequently a shared vision.
"I have come with a message of friendship and peace. Peace in Afghanistan means peace for Pakistan," he added.
He reassured that no country would be allowed to use proxies for pursuing their interests. He opined that the people of Afghanistan shared an unbreakable bond with the people of Pakistan, and stressed that Pakistan had no enemies in Afghanistan.
He also talked about his late brother, Ahmad Shah Massoud's contribution towards building a sovereign, inclusive and strong Afghanistan. By taking a similar stance, peace could be achieved in Afghanistan, he added.
He was of the view that the people of Afghanistan had suffered for too long and yearned for peace. According to him, values adopted by different factions in Afghanistan vary in a distinct manner; however, it is important to take all of them into account, if the peace process is to move forward in Afghanistan, adding that it was time for all stakeholders to accommodate each other.
Reiterating Massoud's stance, Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Director General ISSI said Pakistan did not want Afghanistan to become a bastion of proxy wars, and aspired for a sovereign and peaceful neighbour.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021