KARACHI:
After nearly two decades, the US has finally realised that peace cannot be maintained through war. It can only be achieved through political parley. Hence, the US has decided to pull out all their troops from the war-torn region of Afghanistan. The withdrawal process is now more than 90% complete and the US military has flown approximately all of its materials out of the country. They have also officially handed over seven facilities to the Afghan military.
One cannot ignore the fact that the Afghan civilians have faced many different forms of violence at the hands of both the US and the Taliban. Thousands have lost their lives while millions have been displaced. It is important to ask here: after the withdrawal of foreign troops, who will fill the void in Afghanistan? The question is of considerable importance because militant faction may refuse the peace settlement and try to take over the country. This might have a spillover effect in Pakistan. Pakistan too has suffered tremendously from this war on terror. It cost us 83,000 lives and $126 billion. This is why Pakistani officials have time and again tried to initiate table-talks with Taliban leaders and are now urging for a peaceful settlement in the region. There is a considerable amount of fear that, post US withdrawal, Afghanistan could devolve into further bloodshed and the situation could escalate into a civil war. Pakistan must be ready for the worst.
Sameer Umrani
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2021.
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