Author: Editorial
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 1, 2010
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/232857/This-way-lies-disaster.html
Bribing Taliban will just not work
What has till now been talked about by strategic
experts and debated in the columns of newspapers may soon become a reality.
Last week's conference in London, attended by representatives of 70 countries
and international organisations, including Nato and the UN, to set in motion
the process of what has been described as a 'grand reconciliation' - but is
in reality a grand bargain - to 'reintegrate' the Taliban into mainstream
Afghan society and politics, has virtually resulted in a decision to legitimise
ruthless Islamist terrorists and their murderous ways. Worse, the path chosen
to reach the goal of defanging the Taliban is sure to lead to disaster. The
proposed $ 500 million 'Peace and Reintegration Trust Fund', which will ostensibly
be used for bribing those Taliban fighters who accept the Constitution of
Afghanistan, lay down arms and disown Al Qaeda, we can be sure, will achieve
little. It is more than likely that Taliban fighters will come forward, swear
allegiance to the Afghan Constitution, collect the money, and then disappear
into the badlands of that country to rejoin the jihad being directed by Al
Qaeda. The deal has been worked out by Britain and other Nato members with
America's blessings and brings to mind similar efforts by Pakistan to buy
peace with jihadis in the tribal areas of that country. Those efforts resulted
in further emboldening the Taliban instead of taming the brutal thugs. Yet,
neither the US nor its tans-Atlantic allies appear to have learned any lessons
from that misadventure which is primarily to blame for the subsequent surge
in terrorism that has virtually sent Pakistan into a free fall.
Ironically, Pakistan, which is battling for
its very survival and is under siege from jihadis of various shades of radical
Islam, appears to have had its way with the US on securing a significant role
for itself in facilitating the so-called reintegration of the Taliban. What
this means is that Islamabad will enable the sly infiltration of the administration
headed by President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan security forces by the Taliban.
Once this has been achieved, Islamabad will push for a proxy regime in Kabul
and thus effortlessly regain the 'strategic depth' it had lost after 9/11.
Obviously, President Barack Obama is agreeable to the restoration of status
quo ante in Afghanistan. For, the Taliban will seek absolute control sooner
than later: Let there be no mistake about the Quetta Shura's evil intentions;
nor should we over-estimate the ability of Mr Karzai and his fellow moderates
to keep the barbarians at bay after the American and Nato troops return home.
Pakistan, of course, has reason to celebrate. It has got everything that it
wanted by leveraging its 'strategic assets' with the US and its European allies
desperate to get out of Afghanistan and leave the Afghans to their fate. This
is bad news for India which may yet get to maintain its presence in Afghanistan
but will have no influence in that country. Tragically, the UPA Government
appears to be least mindful of the implications of the London deal. On the
contrary, and shockingly so, it seems to be preparing the ground to "do
business" with the Taliban, as has been indicated by Minister for External
Affairs SM Krishna. National interest for this Government is of little or
no consequence.
