Regional intelligence chiefs meeting to ensure stability in Afghanistan

Recently the entire world has seen an unprecedented happening on 11th September 2021 , as Pakistan’s Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed hosted a meeting in Islamabad between Chiefs of Intelligence Agencies of seven countries, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Earlier, Pakistan Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed also visited Kabul last week to facilitate peace process and to address any developing crisis ahead of the formation of the Taliban government. General Faiz Hameed met with the prominent Taliban leaders including Mullah Abdul Ghani Brother. The issue of pending requests from the world and international organizations for the repatriation/transit through Pakistan and the need to determine the mechanism through which Pakistan could allow these, in coordination with the ground authorities in Afghanistan were discussed in the efforts to maintain peace and stability of the region to establish an interim government.
There have been flurry of visits being undertaken by foreign ministers of several countries as well as intelligence chiefs. American CIA chief and British intelligence agency MI6 head also travelled to the region making stopovers in Islamabad and held meetings with Chief of the Army Staff and DG ISI General Faiz Hameed.
The regional intelligence chiefs suggested Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to develop consensus on the way forward for Afghanistan.
There is no denying of the fact that Pakistan very sensibly & masterfully articulated its position for the two-phrased structure of the peace process. The international community has acknowledged Pakistan’s endeavors for engaging all the actors responsible to maneuver peace efforts in Afghanistan.
Taliban’s taking over of Kabul in a dramatic & peaceful manner on August 15 exactly after two decades is a move that has surprised both their foes and friends. Taliban’s rapid advance across Afghanistan is a rare and unique event in the history of the world. Taliban have pledged not to allow soil of Afghanistan to be used against any country and would firmly abide by all the basic human, social and political rights of women in the country per Islamic and Afghan norms and values. Taliban soon after its resurgence have declared an amnesty for all the rival groups in Afghanistan to have durable peace and to avoid further bloodshed in the country.
The new Afghanistan after 15th August under Taliban regime is experiencing peaceful transition. No panic is seen among people as all the people are leading their normal life. The schools and other educational institutes are opened. The offices and Banks are opened. And the businessmen are carrying their trade and business. So this is our practical example that at last war torn country is back to stability and no more a cause of threat which is quite promising for the regional neighboring states to have long term and lasting coordination with a “New Reality” there i.e “Taliban”.
Chaos, instability, bloodshed, violence in Afghanistan will have catastrophic consequences for the regional peace and stability which remained affected for about four decades in various forms and formats.. Pakistan had been the worst victim of USA and NATO invasion of Afghanistan two decades ago. Islamabad tried hard to work with the previous puppet Afghan administration despite its hostility towards Pakistan. New Delhi with the help of previous Afghan regime had established 68 terrorists training camps in Afghanistan to carry out its subversive activities against Pakistan. India trained Afghanistan’s intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) to carry out subversive activities in Pakistan. Pakistan sincerely been trying to achieve a peaceful, prosperous and stable Afghanistan to ensure overall better security prospects for the entire world. Due to India’s nefarious designs towards Pakistan, country is facing the challenge of hybrid war, targeting common people and its battlefield is human minds, which Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa unveiled before the youths of the country and guided them that it can be fought by strictly adhering to principles and tradition of patriotism.
Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), deliberated upon the issue of Afghanistan during his meeting with intelligence heads of China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Pakistan fulfilling its responsibility by taking the regional states on board and making them realize to remain engaged with Afghanistan to sort out misperceptions as instability in Afghanistan will have catastrophic consequences for the entire region. Key regional countries including China, Russia, and Iran have adopted a pragmatic approach on Afghanistan. The meeting of the intelligence chiefs of key regional countries that soon Central Asia will get rid of the external pressures .A new bloc will emerge in the world. The region will herald great importance in the world politics very soon.
It was principally decided by the participants of the intelligence chiefs of the regional states during their meeting with DG ISI General Faiz Hameed to promote stability and peace in Afghanistan so as to prevent the country from becoming a breeding ground for terrorism again through a mechanism of reconciliation and dialogues with Kabul’s new reality Taliban. The participant also exchanged views on the urgent and necessary measures required for lasting peace and stability in the region. The previous puppet regimes under Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani remained hostage of foreign powers and their spying networks. The spying networks of western states along with India with heinous motives and vested interests fully used Afghan soil to create instability and terrorism in almost all countries, adjoining Afghanistan borders.
During the regional intelligence chiefs meeting decided to take joint steps for lasting peace and stability in the region. Intelligence sharing was agreed upon between the heads of the intelligence agencies and an intelligence sharing mechanism strategy was discussed and developed.
The hostile western powers and Indian spying networks targeted regional states by fanning ethnic violence, instability & terrorism in all the major central Asian states China, Russia, Iran beside Pakistan on priority basis for two decades. The Intelligence Chiefs of the key regional states agreed that if Afghanistan is left on its own, the economic and humanitarian crises will be deepen , resulting in mass exodus of refugees and also create a security vacuum inside Afghanistan that would threaten security of the entire region. The participants of intelligence chiefs meeting appreciated diplomatic initiatives of Pakistan to convince other countries who seems reluctant to work with the new dispensation in Kabul. Pakistan is persuading the world, particularly the West, that while they should not wait and see whether Taliban live up to their promises, resorting to any sanctions, which will only aggravate the problems for the people of Afghanistan. It is because of this reason that Pakistan is actively convincing the US to unfreeze the foreign assets of Afghanistan. The USA National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne has already recently acknowledged Taliban’s role in facilitating the departure of American Citizens from Kabul Airport. “They have shown flexibility and they have been businesslike and professional in our dealing with them in this effort”.
Moscow welcomed US pull-out from the region and foresees a ray of hope for peace and regional stability with Taliban at the center stage in Afghanistan. Russia called the Taliban a “far more trustworthy partner than the foreign puppet governments in Kabul.
Iran coming on board could be a real and positive game changer in the region. Tehran is walking the fine diplomatic line, voicing misgivings about the formation of the next regime in Kabul while engaging with the Taliban and keeping its borders open.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi played a proactive role in the deliberations by exhorting the neighboring countries to ‘help Afghanistan get out of chaos’; ‘exert a positive influence on the situation’; and, ‘guide and urge the Afghan Taliban to unite with all ethnic groups and factions, build a broad and inclusive political structure, pursue moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, draw a clear line with terrorist forces, and establish and develop friendly relations with other countries, especially neighboring countries.
The Central Asian states are more compatible with Taliban and enjoying reciprocal frequency at the helm of affairs in their neighborhood. The peaceful Afghanistan mean lot of opportunities for economic, political and diplomatic outreach in the whole region.
The regional states who faced brunt of terrorism by USA and western forces intrusion in Afghanistan realized to maintain intimate cooperation and engagement with Kabul’s new regime under Taliban to skip disastrous and mala fide intentions of the western forces who are too furious over their historical defeat and humiliation via messy withdrawal of the foreign troops from Afghanistan. Central Asian states are worried that further instability in Afghanistan may jeopardize the security of the region and the world at large.
Pakistan emphasizing the world to adopt a positive and balanced approach devoid of trust deficit on Afghanistan issue. Pakistan has urged the world to discard the old lenses and develop a rational strategy that reflects the ground realities in Afghanistan. Islamabad persuading the world that the policy of intimidation and coercion has miserably failed in Afghanistan and hence international engagement, contrary to international isolation, is the best way forward to resolve Afghan crisis.
Pakistan is concerned that economic meltdown in Afghanistan will have dangerous repercussions. Islamabad genuinely apprehends that economic collapse will create a security vacuum in Afghanistan which will definitely lead to the re-emergence of terror threat thus Pakistan believe that instead of indulging in give-and-take on Afghan crisis, what’s really important is to avert a humanitarian crisis
The UN secretary general Antonio Guterres had also warned that the economic collapse of Afghanistan will be a “gift” for terrorists. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is so dire that every third Afghan does not know if he/she will have the next meal, according to the special UN envoy on Afghanistan. Afghanistan economy is on the verge of collapse. China and Pakistan have already dispatched humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. The international community needs to shun apprehensive approach towards Taliban and must resolve all its disputes through engagement and dialogue, what’s exactly matters is better to accept the ground realities sooner instead of letting things fall apart. Clearly, there is a new reality, which is a government under the Taliban. The US and Western countries are in a difficult balancing act in the aftermath of the Taliban’s victory reluctant to recognize the group while negating the reality that they will have to engage with them to prevent a looming humanitarian crisis.
Pakistan is engaged with international partners in promoting efforts for supporting a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. Pakistan though supports peaceful” transfer of power in Afghanistan” yet won’t take a hasty and unilateral decision of recognizing the Taliban government and is in contact with other countries to make a decision in line with the world powers. Pakistan closely monitoring the situation to ensure if Taliban deliver on the commitments and promises to uphold human rights that they have made to the international community before formally recognizing the new set up in Afghanistan.
Pakistan sincere efforts for regional stability must be seen through the prism of Afghanistan after 9/11 when Pakistan joined USA in its war of terror though, Islamabad had nothing to do with it and hence paid a huge price for being an ally against war of terror.