آرشیف

Still, the Endgame is not Certain.

 Too Late! Mr. Ghani has rung the changes – appointing a new armed forces chief and defence minister in recent days, but analysts suggest he is running out of cards to play. Ghani is pressing the Taliban to accept a role in some sort of interim unity government until elections can be held. But they are emboldened by their battlefield gains, appear to have little interest in further negotiation and are intent on taking full control and restoring Afghanistan to an emirate ruled by religious elders on Islamic principles.

After two decades of fighting terrorism and extremism, in a form of playing cat and mouse with Taliban, the people of Afghanistan are still victims of the strategic interests of the United States and its allies. The catastrophic consequences of the US presence in cooperation with Pakistan have brought poverty, hunger, bloodshed, and insecurity to the people of Afghanistan, according to the well-informed Afghan analysts.

The majority in Afghanistan believe that Ashraf Ghani, Hamid Karzai and Zalmay Khalilzad have been the major adherents of Taliban with whom they have ethnic ties and affiliation. Those three should be accountable for the continued crisis of the current chaotic situation in Afghanistan, enflaming the hatred of our people, living inside and outside, against American administration.  This group, headed by Khalilzad, the so-called special US Envoy for Afghanistan, and their team who created the most corrupt system in the world by installing incompetent and unqualified people to power. Consequently, the current critical situation cropped up in Afghanistan. “The Taliban’s efforts to portray themselves as an effective force capable of governing Afghanistan and giving women and minorities their rights is mere deception.” Few have forgotten how they kill coldheartedly men women and children and national army personnel in Afghanistan every day. Taliban murdered eleven Iranian mostly diplomats, after storming an Iranian consulate in 1998 and murdered former President Najibullah after snatching him from UN custody.

President Ghani headed a high-level delegation to the United States. It is said that about 60 people accompanied him on this trip. Apparently, all the expenses of the trip were paid by the Afghan government, not the US government.

The Kam Air-Kabul-Washington-Kabul charter flight was booked for four days by the Office of Presidential Affairs. It is said that the $ 25,000 hourly fare and stopover, the cars rented from a private company by the Afghan embassy, for the transfer of the Afghan delegation from the airport to their residence. The fare from the airport in Washington for each car was more than $ 500.

The Afghan government also hosted the first dinner by the Afghan Embassy in Washington, where several US politicians were invited. Considering all the exorbitant costs of the trip means that if President Ashraf Ghani and his entourage returned to the United States, what tangible gains would be made for the sake of stability, control of the war, ceasefire, and a positive change in the economic situation for people of Afghanistan? If this trip to US brings peace and stability to Afghanistan it will be worth for such high expenses. But what we have heard so far about the trip is that Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah met with Joe Biden and some other people. But the reason for the trip of a big government delegate is not known yet. “Why these people went to Washington?” the Afghan people ask. People believe that the total expenses of Ghani and his 60 travel companions to Washington could be spent to the poverty-stricken people of Afghanistan. President Ghani’s visit to Washington was a journey without any achievement, with all these huge expenses from the state treasury, had no outcome other than wasting public property for a wishful desire to remain in power. While reports record number of COVID death, health officials have warned of an acute shortage of hospital beds amid the spread of highly transmissible coronavirus variants. Poor people of Afghanistan and history will judge on such lavish expenses.

Ashraf Ghani begins a visit to the United States at a time when the Taliban is making huge advances across the country. Ghani’s trip to US at this critical time, while Taliban wages widespread attacks in various parts of the country, is looked at by many analysts as trying in vain to open the door which he (Ghani) has intentionally closed it by strengthening Taliban. The Taliban has capitalised on the final stages of the US troop withdrawal and intensified their offensive activity. Neighbouring countries have taken urgent security measures at their borders. According to the Moscow-based newspaper, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan has declare a state of emergency at their borders.

Ghani has arrogantly cut off his relationship with people. Insiders and officials paint a portrait of him as increasingly friendless, out of touch and isolated in the presidential palace in the heart of the heavily bunkered Green Zone. “He only listens to three or four people, including his chief of staff and his national security adviser, and of course, his wife,” said one Western diplomat. “There is the traditional court phenomenon, but there is also the personal factor about Ghani, who is suspicious of everyone.”

Ghani’s trip in at the time of on-going unrest and war was politically and morally reprehensible. There are fears that already demoralised Afghan security forces will be swiftly overrun when the remaining American troops withdraw. And peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government remain stalled.

The gift of the American press to Ghani was far from the norm of diplomacy, the famous Wall Street newspaper rang the alarm bells before Ashraf Ghani entered the United States. “The Kabul government falls six months after the withdrawal of American troops.” Ashraf Ghani’s untimely and fruitless trip at this critical situation, was unfortunate and surprising even for the leaders of the countries who are thirsty to meet Mr. Biden for political concessions. The main purpose of the trip was, according to experts, to accuse Trump of political oppression and to give concessions to the Taliban, whose government does not recognize him and who has been the victim of a deal. Time does not work in favour of the Ashraf Ghani, the most incompetent president in the history of Afghanistan. Biden told Ghani and Abdullah, two rivals of the political crisis, “It is time for US troops to leave Afghanistan, the Afghan people must decide for themselves what their future is.” During the meeting, Joe Biden said that we will withdraw our troops from Afghanistan and promised to continue its military and humanitarian assistance to the armed forces and the people of Afghanistan. To the people of Afghanistan not to the Government of Ashraf Ghani. While these words were not new, they were made before the trip times and again. It seems, therefore, that Mr. Biden’s recent verbal promises to US officials may be nothing more than a few days of pleasure.

It turns out that the Kabul-Washington security agreement, which was signed by the Americans at the beginning of Ashraf Ghani’s first term, has been forgotten and neither side has agreed to it. Which commitment do they show?

In the Oval Office, Mr. Ghani expressed gratitude and said, “We’re entering into a new chapter of our relationships where the partnership of the United States will not be military, but comprehensive regarding our mutual interest.”

Military planners and intelligence analysts have come to agree that the Taliban’s growing strength and the planned withdrawal mean the Afghan government will probably fall in six months to two years. Asked about that intelligence, Mr. Ghani smiled and said, “There have been many such predictions, and they have all proven, turned out false.”

Ashraf Ghani paid tribute to Biden’s order to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.  Ghani said, “We respect the US decision, he had no initiative in this meeting and instead of proposing to the US to use his power and influence to pressure the Taliban to agree to a transfer of power through political and peaceful negotiations. As usual, he used his ostensible power to control the situation.

The era of the decline of the Ashraf Ghani, despite all his rabble- rouser and demagogue, has arrived. The Taliban and even most of the political forces that have shared power and wealth with him during this time have been isolated, and the entire Ghani’s government sees crises of distrust. Given the crisis of distrust and incompetence, the rigging of the election commission, and the challenges of insecurity, sensitivities toward Mr Ghani are growing unprecedently, and these crises have overshadowed the initiative of international organizations to combat violence in Afghanistan.

Our national security and national unity are at stake, and if Afghanistan becomes entangled in a civil war this time, the neighbouring countries, especially Russia, China, and Iran, will not remain indifferent.  Afghanistan will be worse off than Iraq and Syria. Mr. Biden’s remarks that the United States will continue to work together in a few areas after the withdrawal of its troops. It means that the United States, with more than 2,400 and 20,000 casualties and billions of dollars, cannot leave room for its dangerous geopolitical rivals. The United States wants to control the situation at a lower cost. But it will happen as it did not for two decades.

We do not know Mr. Biden’s behind-the-scenes advice about the Mr Ghani’s political destiny and future of peace talks and the transfer of power peacefully, nor do we know the way that Biden warns even disgruntled world leaders to defend American interests. To refrain from opposing US policies.

In addition, we expected that despite the diplomatic tradition of welcoming a high-ranking delegation of a country by US officials at Washington airport; At the end of the trip, US Secretary of State John W. Biden or his deputy may hold a joint press conference with Mr. Ghani. Contemptuously, they also refused to hold a joint press conference, and only Mr. Ghani held a press conference with a few low-ranking people.

Ghani did not have any new words or suggestions in this trip and the political record of Ghani era was the darkest period in the history of Afghanistan and the most infamous years for the two ruling parties and even the American people. Our people are proud of their national army. Unfortunately, their casualties were unprecedented in the history of the country during the time of Ashraf Ghani’s corrupt and incompetent leadership.

By Fateh Sami

Date: 28/06/2021