Afghanistan's Future Depends on Pakistan
Fred Kaplan | Slate | May 2009
The road to more
security and stability in Afghanistan runs exclusively through Pakistan. Only
if the Pakistani leadership manages to avoid the collapse of political order
and the stem the march of the Taliban out of the northwest of the country will
peace in Afghanistan have a real chance. US President Obama and his foreign
policy team have finally realized this reality. Supporting the Pakistani
government in the fight against the Taliban is incrementally becoming their
priority. However, the US and Pakistan cannot win this war alone. Only when all
relevant actors and their respective regional interests are bundled up into one
joint strategy can the conflict on the Afghan-Pakistani border region finally
be defused.
The most effective
way to support the governments in Islamabad and Kabul lies in meeting the basic
needs of the local populations. Among them the most important is security,
nutrition and clean drinking water. However, no development agency can operate
freely in Afghanistan without personal security personnel. For this reason
Barack Obama is seeing to it that troop numbers in Afghanistan are increased.
The majority of these troops will be needed on the eastern border to fight
insurgents. This battle necessitates close cooperation between US troops and
local forces, which should be assisted primarily through logistical support in
order to ensure that Afghan units can better guarantee the security of
international aid workers. Furthermore, any form of US military presence in
Pakistan would be counter-productive. Anti-American sentiment is too
deep-seated within the population. In this respect only traditional methods of
support remain viable: for the time being Washington can merely deliver money,
weapons and handbooks on fighting insurgency and hope that these supplies will
be properly utilized by the Pakistani army.
Moreover, the US should - with the support of other
political heavyweights such as China, Russia and the EU - ensure that India
immediately improves its relations with Pakistan. Between 80 and 90% of
Pakistan's troops remain stationed on its border with India. A large portion of
the Pakistani military labels India as the greatest threat to the country.
Pakistan's Army must, therefore, be convinced that the much greater danger
actually lurks in the interior. To this end it is necessary for China and
Russia to procure some level of cooperation with Tehran. Iran has concrete
interests in stabile relations within Pakistan and is carefully observing the
growing power of radical Sunni groups like the Taliban. Before former President
Bush had publicly named Iran in the "Axis of Evil" there had been talks between
officials in Washington and counterparts in Tehran subsequent to 9/11 in which
possible cooperation in the fight against the Taliban was discussed. It is
essential to put all these pieces together, if the AfPak puzzle is to be solved
in the foreseeable future.
This summary was prepared by the Atlantic Community editorial team from "The AfPak Puzzle. The good news: Obama understands what's wrong in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The bad news: He can't fix it" published here by Slate
Tue, Jun 30th 2009, 19:25
Malik Tanwir Amjad, The Helping Hands Pakistan, (4)
You need to analyse the basic needs of people of Pakistan, which is excess to very basic amenities that are right of every citizen but due to wrong doings of succesive governements in Pakistan, The gap between poor and rich is widening, Local Manufacturing has been on stand still due to various factors, that is resulting in jobless ness, dragging the youth in the hands of criminals, who can have different names, be it Taliban, TNSM, BNM etc etc.
Its the duty of world to help Pakistan by allowing excess to its market on preferential basis so that Pakistan is not a begger country but Its a self standing country, whos youth shall not look for short cuts for money.
It shall be kept in mind that If time is lost, not only South east Asia, but whole world will regret for losing the precious time.