At a time when Hamid Karzai is making a desperate bid to woo the Taliban, the Afghan govt is making a distinction between the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda.
DNA Analysis
NEW DELHI: Are the rules of the game changing in Afghanistan? At a time when President Hamid Karzai unable to unite his people under his leadership and making a desperate bid to woo the Taliban, the Afghan government is making a distinction between the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda. Afghanistan’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Farooq Wardak , in India for a week-long visit clearly articulated the distinction.
After a lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs recently in New Delhi, Wardak, was asked about the resurgence of the Taliban in his country. The minister replied. “Taliban, everyone in Afghanistan is a Taliban. Talib is a student.The mullahs, or teachers are everywhere in Afghanistan and is part of our society.” Was he merely quibbling with words or trying to tell India that now Taliban is no longer a dirty word or the symbol of terrorism worldwide. Or in their desperation to make peace with the Taliban, the ruling regime in the country is now willing to temper their past criticism.
“If you mean terrorists, that’s something else. We are a Muslim country and killing people is against Islam. The international terrorists who are now targeting us are not Muslims….You know that at one time these terrorists occupied a part of our territory and made this a haven for terrorists around the world,” Wardak said, without naming Al-Qaeda.
He blamed the “international terrorists” a euphesim for Al-Qaeda for the suicide bombings in the country. “Suicide bombers are alien to Islam and to Afghanistan. I was a holy figher, part of the Jihadi army which fought the Soviet occupation for 14 years, but we never resorted to suicide attacks.”
The suicide attack at the Bagram airbase at a time when US Vice-President Dick Cheney was there, is an indication of the Taliban’s resurgence. President Karzai realises how deep is the penetration of the Taliban and knows even with NATO and US forces, it will be quite impossible to counter this all pervasive force. This is why all the talk of reconciliation. In the early years of the Taliban’s rise, the US was willing to play ball with them, and negotiated with the Taliban government in Afghanistan for a seat in the UN. But before much progress could be made, the Taliban’s links with Bin Laden made it impossible to really come to an understanding.
The British in Helmund province also had an understanding with the Taliban. Though the international community were critical about Pervez Musharraf’s deal with tribal elders in Waziristan, nobody questioned the British forces for doing exactly the same thing. President Karzai would not be making overtures to the Taliban without the nod of the US.
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