After 9/11, the United States invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, ending the Taliban’s six-year rule. The US establishment believed that the September 11, 2001, attack on New York’s trade towers was linked to Afghanistan, where al Qaeda’s central leadership and Osama bin Laden were present. The United States destroyed Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden and to wipe out al Qaeda. The war also killed thousands of Afghan civilians who had nothing to do with the war. The United States has spent a trillion dollars more on this war. Despite spending so much money, the United States has not been able to change the minds of the Afghan people or win their hearts. For the past 18 years, the United States and more than 40 of its allies have fought but failed to defeat the Taliban on the battlefield. The war lasted for 18 years, but the United States and its allies could not defeat the Taliban. Eventually, the United States began negotiations with the Afghan Taliban in Doha to pull itself out of the war and return from Afghanistan.
The Trump administration and the Taliban signed a peace deal in February 2020 last year to bring peace to Afghanistan, which has been at war for nearly two decades. The agreement stated that if the Taliban kept their promises, the United States and all its allies would withdraw from Afghanistan in 14 months. But now the United States has asked the Taliban for time until September. President Joe Biden wants a complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
The agreement also stipulates that the Taliban will not allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to use its territory and will continue national peace talks. Peace in Afghanistan depends on the attitude of the Afghan Taliban, who have been fighting foreign troops for the past 18 years. It would not be wrong to say that the key to peace in Afghanistan lies with the Taliban. While the Taliban has held talks with the United States, it has also reached out to Iran and China to seek their cooperation after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan to bring the situation under control and bring peace to the region.
According to the Doha agreement, the United States will withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of this year, but it wants to keep its grip on Afghanistan and the region strong, so it will increase its influence in the region in terms of politics, economy and defense. C-Pack is also trying to thwart. He wants to stay in the region and keep an eye on China. In this context, the United States wants permission to establish military bases in Pakistan so that it can remain in the region. According to AFP, the Pentagon has claimed that Pakistan has allowed the use of its air and ground space to support US forces in Afghanistan. Denying the news, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while addressing the National Assembly, said that the United States was not being given any military base or air base by Pakistan for drone operations on Afghan soil. Imran Khan There will be no US military base in the country under US leadership.
The State Department also denied Pakistan’s claims of providing a new airbase to the United States, saying that the 2001 agreement between Pakistan and the United States included the Airline of Communications (ALOC) and the ground line. There are communications (GLOC) agreements, And the two countries work together according to them. Under these agreements, the United States was allowed to use air bases under the ALOC and land routes under the GLOC. It was abolished in 2011.
The reasons for providing air bases in 2001 were different. At that time, Pakistan was part of a global campaign against terrorism, but now the situation has changed. Pakistan has been an ally of the United States against the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and Russia in 1988. Pakistan has suffered irreparable damage by being a part of these wars. Once again, giving air bases to the United States could hurt Pakistan.
No government can give such permission to the United States without the permission of the parliament and if such permission is given, the government may face severe public reaction. Retired Lt. Gen. Amjad Shoaib says the United States may be allowed to use land and air space, but will not be allowed to use military airfields. There is a potential threat of civil war in Afghanistan. “God forbid it doesn’t happen, but if it does, then by land the Afghan government and its citizens could be helped.”
The Pentagon also believes that al-Qaeda and ISIS are likely to reactivate in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of foreign troops. This threat will lead to an increase in terrorism in neighboring Pakistan. If pressure is not maintained, al-Qaeda and ISIS could reorganize there. It is also a fact that organizations such as the Taliban, al-Qaeda and ISIS originated on Afghan soil. According to ANP chief Asfandyar Wali, “If the path of ISIS is not blocked, people will forget the oppression of the Taliban.”
There is a danger that the occupation of Kabul will begin after the withdrawal of foreign troops. If a Taliban government is formed in Afghanistan, other powers will support the anti-Taliban group. The situation cannot be expected to improve unless the United States, China and Russia come together on the issue of Afghanistan. There can be no lasting peace because of the tension between the world powers. The United States and the Afghan Taliban will have to take concrete steps to end terrorism and establish lasting peace in Afghanistan. If tensions between the United States, China and Russia continue on some issues, lasting peace and prosperity will not be established in the region.
The government of Pakistan has made it clear that Pakistan will not allow the United States to use its land and air space and that would be the best decision for Pakistan. If Imran Khan takes a U-turn on this decision, the difficulties for Pakistan will increase. From the United States and China, we must stand by our position of trustworthy and always supportive China. China is our friend who has been helping us secretly and openly, financially and morally, since 1965. The US, India and the Afghan government do not like Pak-China friendship. That is why Ashraf Ghani and Zalmai Khalil are making baseless allegations against Pakistan, threatening and pressuring that if Pakistan does not play its role in stopping the Afghan Taliban from armed struggle, it will suffer. This demand is by no means valid, as the Afghan Taliban are waging an armed struggle on their soil against the United States and its allies on the basis of their constitution, their philosophy and their power. If Pakistan is dragged into the Afghan war, the consequences will be dire and the entire region will be destabilized.