Pakistan’s Imran Khan has said that the US “really messed it up in Afghanistan” and the only solution to the situation is through a political settlement that was “inclusive” and involved all factions, including the Taliban.” Khan was talking on the PBS NewHour. He added that there was “no military solution” to the crisis in Afghanistan.
It does sound odd for a PM to say this who is generally accepted to be under the control of the Pak army. But US withdrawal from Afghanistan is a shell shock for all including the Pak army.
“People like me who kept saying there was no military solution were called anti-American. I was even called ‘Taliban Khan’. When they finally decided there was no military solution, unfortunately, the bargaining powers of America or the NATO forces had gone. When there were 150,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan that was the time to go for a political solution.”
New reality?
Neither the US nor Pakistan or for that India or China believe in peace or war but self-interest. Whatever works is chosen. Problem is the timing of the choice. When in comfort, states make bad decisions. Pakistan in 1971 war tried to defend militarily a totally indefensible territory including by genocide. In the end, it lost half of its territory and experienced its greatest humiliation in history. All this was avoidable but when the army thinks with guns only, defeats usually follow. The US is no different in Afghanistan then was Pakistan in 1971.
Pakistan has suffered much from the Afghan situation including the massive refugee influx and if there is a long term civil war now, Pakistan’s mess will be worse. “Our economic situation is not such that we can have another influx.” Khan also denied that Pakistan was providing sanctuary to the Taliban stating that the Taliban is hardly different from any other refugee.
The deeper problem is that Pakistan had tied its dinghy to the US ship from long before but now that is taking water. When it suited the Pak army, they toed the US line and gained. The people didn’t gain much but the ruling class did, including the army. Now the problem is that the happy days seem to be ending. Pakistan got caught in the US’s war of terror and lost much it claims , but it chose to because it helped its own policies and politics. The army was sort of underwritten by the US and it was lovely then.
Now that the US army is floundering next door, Pakistan suddenly appears to be converts to peace. Sadly for Pakistan, it may have made the bed and must lie on it . It means control over its future is going to be even lesser. If the US forced Pakistan to join the War of Terror as Imran Khan claims, both China and Russia will be rougher than the US in joining wars.
A military led state policy has failed and Pakistan’s army can’t admit that . If the US is being blamed now, it’s because the army is caught in its own trap.
