KARZAI:  KING ABDULLAH, WE NEED YOUR HELP

 

During the much awaited International Conference on Afghanistan, hosted by London, Karzai had proposed a “grand peace Jirga” – with the help of Saudi Kind Abdullah.  This proposal by Karzai, of negotiating with the Taliban, is something to keep an eye on.  Whether this will result in the Taliban resting their weapons – or not – is something yet to be seen.  Karzai’s word’s, of reaching “out to all of our countrymen, especially our disenchanted brothers, who are not part of al-Qaeda, or other terrorist networks, who accept the Afghan constitution,” will surely strike a cord within someone’s heart – maybe someone who is hiding within the vast mountains of Afghanistan. 

 

Then came the talk by American officials of re-intergrating ‘lower-level’ Taliban into the Afghan Society.  This would provide money and economic benefits to Afghan villages, as well as jobs.  However, there also needs to be a focus on education along with the initiation of projects to ‘re-brainwash’ these former Taliban back to a state of normalcy.  But will this work?  All we can do is wait and see.  However, this some what ambitious proposal by American officials, is stained by the past.  What if the $140Million International funding for this project will, again, provide a vehicle from which the Taliban can take their Islamic radicalization to higher levels?  This could be risky business – especially since the Afghan government has urged the UN Security Council to remove Taliban officials from their blacklist.  This re-intergration project needs to go ahead with caution and control if it were to work. 

 

With the west providing something more than an olive branch to Karzai, including granting Afghanistan $1.6Billion debt

 

relief and increase in economic aid (mainly from America) from 20% to 50%, Karzai will have a lot of expectations to fill, especially in regards to the validity of this office, since the Afghan election fiasco, and he needs to prove that he can tackle one of the many games being played in Afghanistan – corruption. 

 

Shaneela Rahman
President
UWSU Pashtun Society

www.pashtunsociety.co.nr

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