The Afghan problem

The News: Jang (Editorial)

The issues that mar Afghanistan and its relations with the world are many and dire. The question of peace has puzzled the world since the withdrawal of Soviet troops in the late 1980s. The Taliban's control of over 80 percent of the territory and their government in Kabul has not won them international recognition. The battle in the North is raging, and many-sided foreign interference continuing. Add to these also the US allegation that Kabul provides sanctuary to terrorists, especially Osama bin Laden, the Taliban's unenviable human rights record, and the UN sanctions imposed last year. All this makes the Afghan problem an intractable one.

These issues, plus cross-border smuggling, figured in the first round of high-level talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan since the October 12 takeover by the Musharraf administration that started on Monday. A Foreign Office statement issued after a meeting between Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar and his Afghan counterpart, Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil, said that Pakistan has asked the Afghan government to take "urgent measures" to bring peace through talks and reconciliation. Islamabad has also reassured Kabul that it will continue to provide assistance for the economic reconstruction of the war-torn country. The level of contact between the two countries is likely to go a notch up with the expected Islamabad visit of Mulla Rabbani, the head of the ruling Islamic Council in Afghanistan.

Handicapped on so many counts, not least by its virtual isolation, the Afghan government is now vying for a more normal mode of interaction with the world. The Afghan foreign minister stated in unequivocal terms on Monday that Kabul "was not opposed to having diplomatic ties with any state, nor was it in confrontation with any civilisation on the basis of religion." As a result perhaps of the goodwill it earned on account of its deft handling of the Kandahar hijacking drama, the UN is also planning to step up its activities in Afghanistan by re-opening offices in Kabul and Kandahar. The new UN envoy for Afghanistan, Frances Vendrell, seems to have it right about the challenge in Afghanistan. He told the BBC this weekend that he did not think the Afghan conflict would be solved rapidly. However, Mr Vendrell wants to broaden the UN engagement with Kabul--something which the United States and other western countries must also do to address the Afghan problem. Pakistan can facilitate this process of constructive engagement within the limitation of the given that the Taliban are an independent-minded lot with their own outlook on domestic, regional and international affairs. Only through this channel can Afghanistan be put on the road to durable peace that has eluded it so far.