Comments on: Gordon Duff: Pakistan’s Role In Afghanistan http://mycatbirdseat.com/2010/06/gordon-duff-pakistan%e2%80%99s-role-in-afghanistan/ Sat, 23 Jul 2011 07:28:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Matthew Doye http://mycatbirdseat.com/2010/06/gordon-duff-pakistan%e2%80%99s-role-in-afghanistan/comment-page-1/#comment-1118 Matthew Doye Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:30:20 +0000 http://mycatbirdseat.com/?p=3838#comment-1118 Whilst I have read many of Mr Duff's articles, have agreed with some and disagreed with others this particular one is just wrong in so many ways about such an important topic I feel I have to comment. For starters Afghanistan is not largely Pashtun, only about 40% of the population are from that group and even less use Pashtu as their first language. It is Dari, the national version of Persian that is closest to a lingua franca. The reasons for Hamid Karzai's rise are many but it's mostly down to the fact he was the one person whom most of the indigenous leaders felt they could trust having been well connected since the pre-soviet era. His ability to recognize when foreign powers, from the US to Pakistan, are working to their own interests counter those of Afghanistan and his willingness to stand up and say so form a good part of the reason he retains power. He may not be an ideal leader by Western standards but he is the closest thing to a uniting figure at the moment and probably the least worst option. Concentrating on the Pashtun and the Pakistan relationship is asking for trouble, many other ethnic groups have suffered terrible atrocities at the hands of the Pashtun dominated Taliban and other ethnic Pashtun militias, it is only because of Karzai's long connections with those from other areas of the county that he has retained any trust. <strong>Pakistan has, since the Soviet war, had a history of interference in Afghanistan indeed it is not unreasonable to regard the Taliban regime as Pakistan's proxy. The incessant plotting by elements within the ISI have destabilized both Afghanistan and Pakistan in addition to supporting insurgencies threatening both Iran and India. Recent years have seen incursions by Pakistan into Afghanistan across the Durand line in an attempted land grab as well as nearly provoking Afghanistan to strike at Taliban groups receiving safe harbour just across the border. One would have thought that Pakistan would have welcomed cross border security co-operation to deal with groups that she claims to oppose but apparently not; instead she warned the Afghan government against any such operation.</strong> All in all Pakistan has not been a good neighbor and the sooner she stops trying to interfere in Afghan affairs, the better. Whilst I have read many of Mr Duff’s articles, have agreed with some and disagreed with others this particular one is just wrong in so many ways about such an important topic I feel I have to comment.

For starters Afghanistan is not largely Pashtun, only about 40% of the population are from that group and even less use Pashtu as their first language. It is Dari, the national version of Persian that is closest to a lingua franca.

The reasons for Hamid Karzai’s rise are many but it’s mostly down to the fact he was the one person whom most of the indigenous leaders felt they could trust having been well connected since the pre-soviet era. His ability to recognize when foreign powers, from the US to Pakistan, are working to their own interests counter those of Afghanistan and his willingness to stand up and say so form a good part of the reason he retains power. He may not be an ideal leader by Western standards but he is the closest thing to a uniting figure at the moment and probably the least worst option.

Concentrating on the Pashtun and the Pakistan relationship is asking for trouble, many other ethnic groups have suffered terrible atrocities at the hands of the Pashtun dominated Taliban and other ethnic Pashtun militias, it is only because of Karzai’s long connections with those from other areas of the county that he has retained any trust.

Pakistan has, since the Soviet war, had a history of interference in Afghanistan indeed it is not unreasonable to regard the Taliban regime as Pakistan’s proxy. The incessant plotting by elements within the ISI have destabilized both Afghanistan and Pakistan in addition to supporting insurgencies threatening both Iran and India. Recent years have seen incursions by Pakistan into Afghanistan across the Durand line in an attempted land grab as well as nearly provoking Afghanistan to strike at Taliban groups receiving safe harbour just across the border. One would have thought that Pakistan would have welcomed cross border security co-operation to deal with groups that she claims to oppose but apparently not; instead she warned the Afghan government against any such operation.

All in all Pakistan has not been a good neighbor and the sooner she stops trying to interfere in Afghan affairs, the better.

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