The US National Security Advisor General McMaster was the first high-ranking US official to visit Afghanistan, followed by James Mattis, US Secretary of Defence; General John Nicolson, the Commander of Foreign Forces in Afghanistan said that Russia supports the Taliban by providing them with weaponry, but the US has yet to announce an Afghan policy. Pashtuns feel it is a mixed message from America—the US appears to give a free hand to ISI by funding of billions of dollars to the Pakistan government and military, who then send insurgents to attack the Afghan army and NATO in Afghanistan.
The Taliban attack on Shaheen Corps in Dehdadi district in Balkh province was the deadliest fight for Afghan security forces in the past 16 years. More than 140 Afghan soldiers died and dozens more were wounded, subsequently the Afghan Minister of Defence and Chief of Staff resigned. The attackers were perfectly disguised as the Afghan National Army and were admitted without question. According to the Taliban, four people from inside had coordinated the attack with them, as was the case when bombs were installed in the furniture in the guesthouse in Kandahar and the attack on military hospital in Kabul. The question being asked is how was the way paved for these attacks?
The Sunday Guardian was told that refugees are fleeing from Waziristan. After their homes have been destroyed, displaced people flee to Afghanistan and inside Pakistan. It is said that the US and ISI are creating Daesh (IS) under the pretext of destroying terrorists.
Pashtuns and Balochs inside Pakistan and Afghanistan and around the world are refusing to recognise the Durand Line after Pakistan unilaterally closed the travel and transit routes at the end of February. Former President Karzai has said Pakistan had demanded recognition of the line and a reduction in bilateral ties between Kabul and New Delhi. But Afghans are grateful for India’s practical help, the irrigation resulting from the Salma Dam is an extraordinary advantage to the people of Herat and operating Chabahar Port in Iran will ease Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan. Pashtuns and Balochs hope that there will be a future for this Indian infrastructure diplomacy; they are not in favour of the Indian government wasting taxpayers’ money and pouring of millions of dollars into what they believe is a crooked and corrupt Kabul government. They want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contact and support the public directly, to gain Afghans’ “hearts and minds” and to strengthen the Afghanistan-India relationship on a basis of mutual benefit, an invitation to Kabul was extended to Dr Subramanian Swamy.
The election of President Ashraf Ghani was welcomed, but again Pukhtuns feel let down; they say Ghani made a mistake creating the Unity Government, filled with US-sponsored warlords (committing crimes and genocides against their own people), who have sinister links with ISI, Russia, Turkey, Iran, India and the West. Civilian life and conversation in Kabul is controlled; there is little or no internet and civilians feel their plight is neglected by the world. To date, three successive talks have failed to begin a peaceful negotiation, the Afghanistan-Pakistan-China-Taliban talks, Murree talks, and Quadrilateral Talks have all failed. The London Pashtuns are advocating an Intra-Afghan Peace Dialogue with representatives from US-NATO, India, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, China and Gulf States. They anticipate executive action from the US to remove the warlords, dispel the national Unity Government and install the traditional political accountability, the “Loya Jirga”, the Grand Assembly, with elders and religious scholars selected by people, and not by those under pressure from outsiders.