War Lords & Taliban reconciliation

Posted on 11 months ago

Pakistan has been a cat's paw of America from early 1950s and been rendering countless good turns to it from time to time. Acting as US's proxy during 1979-1989 Afghan War, Pakistan forced the retreat and disintegration of the Soviets. In consequence US became the sole super power of the world - the status with sky as its limit.
One wonders if US can repay in generations the debt it owes to Pakistan on this account leaving aside rest of the good turns. Maybe, Washington has relegated this good turn to the archives and is therefore going after the stick in dealing with Pakistan.
America is going to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Peace talks with the Afghan Taliban in Qatar seem to have got stranded. The northern War Lords are understood to be friendly with President Hamid Karzai. They also need to be at the peace talks alongside the Afghan Taliban because, on the departure of West's forces, a national government can take over the governance of Afghanistan.
Come 9/11, America blamed Osama bin Laden as its perpetrator and demanded of the Taliban government to hand over Osama to it. At the response being negative, it invaded Afghanistan. Threatening Pakistan with bombing it into stoneage, it asked: "Are you with us or against us?" That was how Pakistan has been an American ally against international terrorism for the past 11 years.
Incidents infringing upon Pakistan's sovereignty since May 2011 led to the blockade of the containers of the goods required by the West' troops which have brought about a thaw in relationship between America and Pakistan. But both need one another for more reasons than one.
Jalal Ahmed
Peshawar
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