PESHAWAR: The US has been forced to pull out of Afghanistan because of the Afghan Taliban movement, former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed has said.
Ahmed, speaking at a Meet The Press programme at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, said that the Taliban were a force to reckon with and a reality in geo-politics. “Until Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar is included, peace talks between US and the militant group will not be credible.”
However, he adamantly rejected the notion that theirs was an Islamic government. “The Taliban regime cannot be termed a model Islamic government, as little of what they did was Islamic.”
The Taliban, he said, should seek guidance from religious scholars. “They are students and need guidance from scholars.”
Post-US situation
Ahmed was sceptical of the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying it will be leaving at a time when the situation in the region is still unclear. “It is not clear what will happen if the US troops leave Afghanistan,” he said, adding that even the future of an Afghan constitution is ambiguous. “The Taliban want their own government, while the Hizb-e-Islami and other Afghan parties want an elected government.”
He said that Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan, Iran and Turkey, should arrange a dialogue in the war-torn country before the US departs to save the region from further anarchy.
Islamic world and Pakistan
Ahmed also lauded the Arab Spring and the consequent victory of Islamists in Egypt and Tunisia and also the Turkish resurgence. However, he regretted that while the Islamic world was making giant strides towards progress, Pakistan was going the other way.
“The Pakistani people have the key to change their future,” he said, asking them to elect a sincere leadership in the next elections, which can end to corruption and solve economic, power and other crises being faced by the nation.
He also stressed on the early completion of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project to overcome the energy shortage in the country.
Talking about reengagement with the US, Ahmed said: “This is not an alliance. Both countries have competing interests in this region and Pakistan needs to get rid of the US partnership.”
COMMENTS (19)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@nerevar: Um...guerilla armies don't wage pitched battles. Read up on Vietnam if you can.
The core of the problem is well articulated in the link below:
Afghanistan: De-Pashtunization of Pashtuns by Taliban and Pakistan
http://www.examiner.com/afghanistan-policy-in-national/afghanistan-de-pashtunization-of-pashtuns-by-taliban-and-pakistan-1
Is it again an Islamic duality from an Islamic scholor . Defeat of US means victory of terrorist . Pakistan has opted to defeat terrorists and for that sake has to follow the streategy laid down by the international force to resolve the Afghan issue .
I have respect for him but not his firebrand successor.
Jihad for us the poor people, and Nijaat for these monsters and their kids. Never heard any of their kid being kidnapped targetted or involved in the list of missing persons. We the poor are the ones who goes missing, gets killed, targetted, and kidnapped for ransom. these bearded men, I never heard them saying anything for those missing, killed and tortured, Afia siddiqi is the daughter of the nation for them and the baloch mothers are the creatures of a lesser God, damn with these Munafiqs.
Lol @ Roflcopter the US might not have decisively won but they certainly aren't being forced from Afghanistan. The Taliban excel at ambushes but they have never come close to winning a pitched battle against the Americans. Look up the battle of Do Ab it happened in Nuristan last year well over 100 taliban were killed without a single US casualty.
right on sir
Are any religious leaders or their kids waging Jihad or it is only for poor people? Like OBL who has advised his kids not to get involved in jihad and lead a normal life. These are two faces of all religious extremists who are chameleons.
and Pakistan must side with its Muslims brothers
Who cares! I know Taliban are killing pakistanis. They are enemies of Pakistan. Their enemy is my friend.
Vienna,March 31,2012 A wise man indeed. Sad he is not a force any more. But any case the sign is good that he has forced American withdrawal from Afghanistan!!! Fantastic. Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring TTTMM India ---Kulamarva Balakrishna
Agree for the most part with JI chief.
Why does the Pakistani population tolerate such Mullahs? , these people are burning the US flag with one hand and have a begging bowl for US aid money in the other hand. Totally shameful
So the Americans defeated and toppled Taliban government, captured or killed 9.11 criminals including Osama bin Laden, which was the aim of invasion, and still Americans have lost and Jihadis have won? Typical Islamic bravado.
Fully agree with this great person.
People don't reduce troops when they're forced out. Zero are left. Why would a country leave a few soldiers in hostile territory at an overwhelming disadvantage? A sick joke? I don't care if people want to argue there has been a challenge. But to exaggerate this much? It's sort of pathetic having to be so full of crap to salvage an image that never really existed in the first place.
Most of the times Qazi sahib comes out with seriously good statements.... If only he wasn't so much a mullah he would ge a great leader