Post-2014 options: Envoy reassures US support to Afghanistan for peace, security

Says US will continue engagement with Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD:

The United States (US) and Pakistan are partners in promoting peace and curbing terrorism in Afghanistan. There has been a lot of progress towards building of national institutions in the area over the last several years.

This was stated by the US Ambassador Richard Olson while addressing a conference on “US-NATO exit from Afghanistan: Challenges and Options Beyond 2014” at National University of Modern Languages on Wednesday, said a press release.

The ambassador expressed the hope that Afghanistan will be able to preserve the gains and maintain stability after the withdrawal of US-Nato forces from there. Highlighting progress, he said that eight times as many children are enrolled in schools, one third of them are girls and more than 10 times as many students attend university education in Afghanistan.

In a way, he added, it will not be an exit in 2014 as US will continue its engagement with Afghanistan beyond 2014. He said that the US will not disengage from the region as it did in 1989 by committing a mistake. He quoted President Obama saying, “We will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.”



In his address, the Afghan Ambassador Mohammad Omer Daoudzai highlighted Pakistan’s role in promoting peace in Afghanistan. He said Afghanistan believes in establishing good relations with all regional countries. He dispelled the notion that Taliban might overrun Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US-NATO forces.

Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said that Pakistan has been working closely on bilateral, trilateral and multilateral levels to support intra-Afghan reconciliation. He further said Pakistan, despite its financial difficulties, is contributing towards Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development. Pakistan provided assistance of $330 million to Afghanistan for projects in the infrastructure, health, and education sectors. Jilani said Pakistan respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and it will continue to extend assistance to Afghanistan for the achievement of shared goals of peace and stability.

Quaid-i-Azam University National Institute Pakistan Studies Director Tahir Amin stressed understanding and conciliation among various world orders, explaining that US perceived world order was not the only one such order. He called for promoting a culture of dialogue for the resolution of world issues, avoiding use of force.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said education was a key to promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Moreover, he said the HEC has offered a large number of scholarships to Afghan students and would like to offer more to help.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2013.