ALI SUKHANVER

Some people suggest that Pakistan must say good-bye to Afghan affairs. In other words they suggest that Pakistan must let Afghanistan burn in fire of intrigues and conspiracies and must ignore the sorry plight of those whom Pakistan has been entertaining and accommodating for more than thirty years. Such people ignore a very important thing while giving this suggestion that Pakistan’s own peace and prosperity is directly linked with the strength and stability of Afghanistan. Unfortunately the people in Afghan government never try to understand this relationship between the two countries. Today the Afghanistan of Ashraf Ghani is simply a hell on the earth. Bomb blasts and suicidal attacks have become a routine matter as they used to be a routine in Pakistan a few years back. People are so insecure and dissatisfied that they have now started demanding resignation from the President. Helpless Ashraf Ghani government is trying to silent this protest with the help of security forces.

The worst example of state brutality was seen on 3^rd of this June (2017) when at least 18 Afghans were killed and 87 wounded as multiple blasts targeted funeral of one of such protesters In Kabul. The murdered young man was son of deputy head of Senate, Salim Ezadyar. The said demonstration was attended by several political figures and a key factional leader, Ahmad Zai Masood, whom President Ashraf Ghani fired from a top government job recently. The Security forces opened fire and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Five protesters died and almost 10 were wounded. The commander for Kabul’s garrison, General Gul Nabi Ahmadzai denied involvement of the security forces in the killings and blamed that some protesters carried weapons and wounded and killed some security personnel and civilians. Once again the Afghan government put whole blame on the Haqqani network and the ISI. President Ghani ordered an investigation into the incident to “identify those who acted unlawfully.” In short the so-called Indian-supported Afghanistan has once again become a burning hell where every day countless people are being deprived of their lives but the Afghan government is doing nothing than blaming Pakistan and ISI.

In another incident of the same type a suicide car bombing in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter killed about 80 people and wounded more than 350 on 31^st May. This incident took place a few hundred meters from the Indian embassy in Kabul. The area where the explosion took place is very close to the presidential palace and several foreign embassies. It was reported in Afghan newspapers, ‘Thick smoke could be seen rising from the centre of the city but it is not clear what the target was. Houses hundreds of meters away from the blast were damaged with windows and doors blown off their hinges. Witnesses said dozens of cars were blocking roads and some wounded people could be seen. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.’ Instead of admitting their inefficiency and ineligibility, the security agencies of Afghanistan started blaming the Haqqani Network and the ISI as per their state policy.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also fulfilled his duty by condemning the massive attack in his tweet. He said, “India stands with Afghanistan in fighting all types of terrorism. Forces supporting terrorism need to be defeated.”  Here one may ask a question; who else could be stauncher supporter of terrorism than India? On 3^rd of the same month, in another incident a very powerful blast targeting an armoured NATO convoy that killed at least eight people and wounded 28. According to the media reports, this blast was the latest in a long line of attacks in the Afghan capital. Kabul province had the highest number of casualties in the first three months of 2017 because of multiple attacks in the city,’ says media.

The routine of framing and fixing Pakistan in every act of terrorism must now be abandoned. After a long struggle and effort and after sacrificing countless lives, Pakistan has ultimately succeeded in throwing most of the terrorists back to the land they actually belonged to. Now it all depends upon the Ashraf Ghani government how to treat those rascals. I am sure Mr. Ashraf Ghani won’t have forgotten the golden words of sweet Hillary Clinton, you can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours.

Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard.”  Let us see if Ashraf Ghani government keeps on honouring the snakes as ‘state-guests’ or exports them to the Shinning India. Standing on a safe harbour, Pakistan is now simply looking at those who were of the opinion that Pakistan would not be able to chain the giant of terrorism and this giant would ultimately swallow the whole of Pakistani society. Some of the ‘well-wishers’ of Pakistan left no stone unturned in proving Pakistan a nursery of terrorists. They wasted countless precious moments in visualizing Pakistan as a failed-state but today things are altogether otherwise. The wave of terrorism is dying in Pakistan and blooming in other parts of the world. From East to West and from North to South, the hurricane of terrorism is engulfing every nook and corner. It is the high time that the world must ask Pakistan how it got rid of the menace of terrorism. Pakistan could be a guiding star to the world in this regard.