Without going into debate whether US troops forcefully vacated the Bagram air base or it’s a voluntarily pullout effort, it is, however, said that US troops vacated Bagram air base overnight without coordination with the Afghan Army. The evacuation marked the policy shift which aims at managing the situation in Afghanistan from outside the country. So the question is: US troops has evacuated Afghanistan but does it mean that US administration has also quit wholeheartedly?
All U.S. and NATO troops on Friday (July,2) left Bagram Air Base - one of the biggest military bases in Afghanistan - after nearly two decades of continuous presence, in a move that serves as a precursor to the imminent exit of the American military from Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Afghan forces has lost 112 districts to the Taliban in just few days time. Now the panic-stricken residents are under tremendous confusion and fear while the majority of Afghan forces top slot officers and soldiers have been moved to Tajikistan.
However, Pakistan is in no condition to welcome those Afghan residents heading our way with open arms. With around 2.8 million Afghan refugees, it has done playing the good host, especially, when terrorists in the guise of its guests want to blow them apart.
The Taliban’s assumption of power will embolden the extremist groups in Pakistan. Terrorist networks like the TTP, that presently face difficulties to target Pakistan from safe havens in Afghanistan, are likely to send their operatives in the guise of refugees to launch terror attacks.
The foreign affairs expert and former Dean Social Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Dr. Nazir Hussain while talking about challenges and opportunities for Paksitan under this situation, says that Pakistan can have devastating security implications if civil war breaks out , but opportunity as all regional states, Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey would like to have peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Faisal Raza Khan, a senior defense reporter believes "Afghanistan’s future depends upon all stakeholders’ within, how much they are sincere to the long-term peace and stability in the country. On the contrary, repeating the past mistakes and irresponsible draw-down of foreign forces lead Afghanistan to a vacuum, either that would be filled through a well framed legitimate government through peaceful political negotiations between Afghan stakeholders including Taliban or it would result into a civil war. All regional countries and global powers must have to strengthen and encourage on-going negotiation process between Afghan entities to have a peaceful settlement, thinking otherwise would be huge disaster, not only for Afghanistan but for the neighbouring countries and region at large, he concludes.
It is only a matter of time before the situation gets tense at the border with Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan said just the other day that border crossings would be closed if the Taliban forced their way into Kabul. Thus, Islamabad will be watching all developments in Afghanistan very closely. It will do whatever it can to keep the insurgents from getting ahead of themselves at this sensitive time. From the looks of things, though, it doesn’t seem as if the Taliban are in any mood of backing down just yet: not exactly good news for the whole region.
Almas Haider Naqvi, an Islamabad based senior journalist covering foreign affairs opines that, “under the circumstances, Pakistan has to exert pressure on the Taliban to support a broad-based and inclusive government in Kabul. Only an inclusive government will receive the international financial support needed to run and develop a devastated Afghanistan. Also, Pakistan will have to strengthen its borders and ensure there will not be anymore influx of Afghan people towards Pakistan.
3 comments:
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