Dec 5 Bonn Conference by Khaama Press
The failure of the first Bonn Conference in 2001 was its inability to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan by defeating the Taliban militants. But US-led India and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have been playing their collective game, pursuing their interests. Particularly, US divergent interests have resulted in disharmony and intensity of conflict in Afghanistan, at the cost of other western countries in NATO.
This time, a second Bonn Conference is being held in Bonn, Germany on December 5, 2011. Despite the request of some western countries, especially America and Germany, to reconsider the decision, Pakistan has boycotted the Bonn meeting as a protest against unprovoked and deliberate air strikes by the US-led NATO jet-helicopters on Pakistan Army outposts. These killed 24 troops in the early hours of November 26.
It is noteworthy that the Istanbul Conference was hosted by Turkey on November 3, 2011. Besides Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey, representatives of some other countries, the EU, NATO, and the United Nations also participated. The meeting was aimed at such issues as transition in Afghanistan, Afghan security, the reconciliation process, stability in that country etc. Strong opposition compelled the US to drop the original Istanbul draft that proposed the formation of a contact group, which also comprised India, which does not share a border with Afghanistan. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had emphasised the need for strengthening the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) and the Shangai Cooperation Organisation to address security and economic issues of the region including Afghanistan. On the other hand, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, while following US continued blame game against Pakistan, called for "dismantling terrorist safe havens" in FATA. In the past, the London Conference was also held with the similar purpose to stabilize Afghanistan.
Now, the Bonn meeting is aimed at bringing together Western and regional leaders to map out a strategy for Afghanistan after the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2014. So the conference agenda, as declared by German Ambassador Steiner, is the transfer of responsibility for security to the Afghan Government, the political process of national reconciliation, the integration of former Taliban fighters and the country's various population groups, the renunciation of violence and terrorism, and respect for the Afghan constitution including human rights issue. But the stability of Afghanistan is the key aim in the context of the stability of the entire region, to which all regional countries will contribute.
Despite this, US covert interests will thwart the real aims of the other western countries in connection with the Bonn Conference. In this respect, America has already ensured that it will keep its military bases in Afghanistan permanently to advance the interests of its western allies for a stable Afghanistan. But under this pretext, US seeks to fulfill its multiple secret interests.
Since the US-led NATO forces occupied Afghanistan, stiff resistance of the Taliban militants, which has created unending lawlessness in the country, has made it a most conducive place for the US, India and the Karzai-led regime to play clandestine strategic game against Pakistan, China and Iran.
Under the cover of the US-led blame game against Islamabad regarding cross-border terrorism, secret agencies like the American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad have well-established networks in Afghanistan from where well-trained militants are being sent to Pakistan. There they commit various subversive acts like suicide attacks, bomb blasts, targeting killings etc., besides supporting separatist elements of Balochistan where similar subversive acts continue. In this context, Pakistan's spokesman Maj-Gen. Athar Abbas and Interior Minsiter Rehman Malik have repeatedly charged that all the insurgents are being sent in the country from Afghanistan. Even Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has remarked that foreign hands are involved in weakening Pakistan. Now by ignoring the dangers of its new strategy to directly strike Pakistan's tribal regions, in violation its sovereignty, US intentions to create Pakistani instability can no longer be ignored.
America, which has perennially been boosting the defence of India, is determined to make it the super power of Asi,a so as to counterbalance China. In this regard, China's strategic cooperation with Pakistan, particularly in the development of Balochistan's Gwader seaport irritates both New Delhi and Washington.
In fact, with the tactical assistance of the US, New Delhi which had given shelter to the Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama and his militants, has been playing a key role in assisting uprisings in the Tibetan and Muslim areas of China. Recently, US President Obama also met with the Dalai Lama, so as to indirectly encourage insurgency in China.
On October 5 this year, India and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement. However, apparently it is bogus strategic agreement. Secretly India wants to further strengthen its grip in Afghanistan not only to get strategic depth against Islamabad, but also to destabilize Pakistan.
US has always accused Pakistan of cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan. While, with the backing of America , India and Afghanistan , in the last few months, heavily-armed insurgents from Afghanistan 's side entered Pakistan 's region intermittently, targeting the security check posts, killing 100 personal of Pakistan 's security forces. Meanwhile, air strikes by US-led jet-helicopters, ground shelling and drone attacks on Pakistani soil have also continued intermittently. These attacks resulted in more terrorism, provoking the militants in Pakistan. However, US-led India and Israel are deliberately creating instability in Pakistan, as the latter is the only nuclear country in the Islamic World.
It is mentionable that cultivation and smuggling of drugs is the major source of income for India and Karzai government. So money earned through drug-smuggling is utilized in buying weapons, being dispatched to the foreign agents and the insurgents in Pakistan
America knows that if it does not maintain its military presence in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces, the Karzai regime and New Delhi will not be in a position to maintain their hold in wake of the successful guerrilla warfare of the Taliban.
Here the question also arises that if well-trained NATO forces, equipped with sophisticated weaponry, failed in coping with the Afghan Taliban in the past ten years, how US will prevail in defeating them. It appears America only wants to keep its military presence with the help of India to destabilize Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and China. Its other purpose is to reach the energy resources of Central Asia. American counterinsurgency will only bring about further instability in Afghanistan, as Afghan militants will continue their suicide attacks and ambush assaults on the US bases and newly-trained Afghan soldiers. The US is so enthusiastic in obtaining its secret goals that it has ignored the corruption of Afghan government, as the Karzai regime depends upon corrupt officials.
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