By Hamid Mir
Thursday, august 31, 2006
Kabul-The USa, UK and Canada have finally convinced Pakistan to send its army officers to afghanistan for a "well coordinated war against terror" in the region. For the first time after 9/11, the Pakistan army will join International Security assistance Force (ISaF) in afghanistan. The Pakistan army will provide its officers to be deployed in ISaF Headquarters in Kabul. They will act as liason officers and will also coordinate their actions with the afghan National army. This significant development was revealed to me by a senior ISaF Commander in Kabul, Brigadier General N.a.W. Pope who is from the UK. He said that the number and time for the deployment of Pakistan army officers in the ISaF Headquarters is not yet confirmed, but it was decided in the recent tripartite meeting of Pakistan, USa and the afghan army officials that Pakistan army officers will become part of the international force for better coordinatination and liason to strengthen the war against terrorism. He said that ISaF has troops of more than 37 countries,there are many countries in ISaF which are not part of NaTO, and Pakistan would be one of them who will provide their military man power to afghanistan. He appreciated the cooperation extended from Pakistan in the war against terror and said that the presence of Pakistan army officers in the ISaF headquarters would help to remove misunderstandings between Kabul and Islamabad.
Brigadier Pope admitted problems faced by ISaF in the South and East of afghanistan, but he was optimistic that the situation will be under control very soon. ISaF is launching new operations, especially in the areas bordering Pakistan, with intelligence help from Pakistan. He came to afghanistan for the second time. When he came here for the first time in 2003, most of the buildings and roads in Kabul had been destroyed. He was posted again in afghanistan recently and he could see a lot of changes. "at least the capital of afghanistan is developing because there is good security here", Pope said. When I reminded him that there were some rocket attacks in Kabul in the last few days, he said that some insurgents are firing rockets from the mountains just to spread terror, but life in Kabul is normal.
I accompanied British troops in their two search operations in the mountains South of Kabul and in the mountains of Sarobi in the East of afghanistan. I felt that the ordinary people, at least in Kabul and in some parts of East afghanistan, were not very angry with the troops because the ISaF commanders are trying their best to provide roads, hospitals and schools to these areas. When I travelled in the South of afghanistan, the situation there was different. There was no security. Common people were complaining that the government was unable to save them from decoys and criminals. There are no good roads, no schools and no infrastructure in most of the Southern cities, and that's why the Taliban are still popular in the South. The British and Canadian troops are trying their best to act as a "helper and facilitator" rather than as an invader's army. ISaF is trying to provide security to many construction projects in the South, but is facing problems everyday.
Pakistan is also playing an important role in the reconstruction of afghanistan. The road between Torkham and Jalalabad has been completed by Pakistan army's FWO company. Pakistan has provided lots of city transport buses, which are visible in Kabul with the signs of "Pak afghan Dosti Zindabad" (Long Live Pak afghan Friendship). Pakistan has also donated more than 250 million US dollars to the afghan government. Kabul is spending this money according to their own requirements. Pakistan has started to build the "allamah Iqbal Faculty of arts" in the Kabul University, an Intermediate College with the name of "Khushhal Baba School" in Kabul and also some other projects--not only in the East and South--but also in the North of afghanistan. Pakistan will build a 'Jinnah Hospital" in Kabul, still another hospital in Nagarhar and schools in Mazar-e-Sharif and in Balkh. Pakistan is now trying to treat Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras equally. Recently some members of the afghan Parliament wanted to adopt a condolence resolution on the killing of akbar Bugti in the elected house of the country, but a member from the Northern province of Balkh, Sebghatullah Zaki, opposed that. He is from the famous Northern alliance leader Rashid Dostam's party. He said that Pakistan and afghanistan should not interfere in the internal affairs of each other. Most interestingly one can see the pictures of the late ahmed Shah Massoud in the office of the Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul. Only a few years ago, Massoud was a symbol of hatred in the Pakistani establishment, but in a matter of just a few days Pakistan army officers will join ISaF headquarters, situated on the "Great Massoud Road" of Kabul. Reliable diplomatic sources in Kabul are claiming that Pakistan is still reluctant to announce that it will join ISaF, but Pakistan agreed in principle after lots of hectic backdoor-channel diplomacy from the USa, UK and Canada. Pakistan will formally annnounce its participation in the ISaF in the next few days. This will be a major development before the fifth anniversary of 9/11.
Hamid Mir, a Pakistani Journalist, known of his interviews with Osama bin Laden, is reporting for the Geo TV from Lebanon now.
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