Kabul warned against proxy use

A former senior official of the previous Afghan regime has cautioned Kabul against using proxies against Islamabad and said Afghanistan “cannot afford such ventures” against Pakistan.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, former governor of Kandahar and Jalalabad Muhammad Shafiq Gul Aga Sherzai stressed that the current Taliban regime should properly address the issue of the militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its activities against Pakistan.

Recalling what the founder of the Taliban movement Mullah Omar had said about the TTP, Sherzai said he believed that the issue should be resolved with Islamabad following the departure of foreign forces from the war-torn nation.

Sherzai also talked about the failed peace talks during former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani’s regime, revealing that the then Kabul government was using the peace talks as a delaying tactic. He also attributed the failure of talks to the inexperience of the negotiators, saying they were the “blue-eyed” individuals of the regime’s cabinet members and were parachuted into their new roles after returning from the United States or Europe.

Sherzai recalled that in a meeting with Ghani, he cautioned him against trusting the US “blindly” as they had their own vested interests. “Ghani was deceived by Washington’s words and the lofty promises made, which led to hardships for the Afghan people.”

“None of the negotiation committee members had ever been on the ground to take local input, and were just there for the perks and privileges,” said Sherzai.

In contrast, the negotiators sent by the Taliban to Doha were experienced and had taken part in diplomatic talks with Russia, engaged with Gulf countries and the US on various levels and established the movement’s Doha office while engaged in open hostilities with the US and its allies. He added that Karzai was a more seasoned statesman than Ghani - whose advisors misled the government at every turn.

Referring to the current resistance movements against the Islamic Emirate, Sherzai dismissed the Northern Alliance as opportunists who are active for “personal gains”. “They looted the country for decades and are proxies of neighbouring countries,” claimed the former governor.

The current Afghan government comprises two groups, the Haqqanis and the Kandahar Taliban, and the younger leadership is in favour of reforms, inclusive government and girls’ education, said Sherzai but added some hardliners in the Kandahari group are against reforms. Praising the Haqqanis for being more open to work, cooperation and safeguarding public interests, the former governor maintained that the new regime improved the security situation of Afghanistan during the last three years.

On constitutional reforms in Afghanistan, Sherzai said although he has heard that progress is being made on the matter, he is not hopeful as it is a very time-consuming process. He added further that all stakeholders, including the public, should be taken on board for a constitution to be drafted.

Lamenting the brain drain currently faced by the war-torn nation, the former governor blamed the special immigration visas given to Afghan nationals following the fall of Kabul while maintaining that the situation in the country was gradually improving.