WASHINGTON, D.C : Mohajir leader and chairman of South Asia Minorities Alliance Foundation (SAMAF) Nadeem Nusrat has said that the killing of high-ranking Afghan officials in a brazen attack by the Taliban has once again established that American and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan in near future would greatly embolden the forces of darkness and plunge the entire region into chaos once again.
Nadeem Nusrat, who also heads The Voice of Karachi, said that it is astonishing that the latest attack and killing by the Taliban has taken place at a time when all media reports are confirming ongoing dialogues between the US representatives and the Taliban. Despite the US concession to directly negotiate with the Taliban, the extremist outfit has continued its deadly attacks throughout Afghanistan, targeting the ongoing election campaign in the country, he added.
The chairman SAMAF said that if this wasn’t enough, the extremist outfit masterminded yet another deadly attack in which three Americans as well as many top Afghan officials were killed, and U.S. Army Gen. Scott Miller, commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force Afghanistan, narrowly escaped.
Nadeem Nusrat said that this latest attack, which deserves utter condemnation from every peace-loving person, has made a few things abundantly clear. First, the Taliban leadership and its backers across the border are viewing the U.S. desire to find a negotiated settlement as a sign of weakness among the U.S. and its allies in the region. He said that their decision to intensify their deadly campaign is clearly part of their plan to extract as many concessions in the negotiations as possible. Second, increasing attempts to sabotage the ongoing election campaign makes it clear that the Taliban will never allow any democratic or moderate political force to exist in the country.
Moreover, by targeting Afghan leaders like General Abdul Raziq, a fiercest critic of the Taliban support from across the border, the Taliban has made it obvious that sovereignty will continue to remain an elusive dream for Afghans following the US withdrawal, he added.
Nadeem Nusrat said that the world must not forget that the plans for the 9/11 tragedy had been hatched in a cave in Afghanistan when the Taliban ruled the country. In addition, both al-Qaeda and the ISIS have strong presence in Afghanistan.
The chairman SAMAF said that leaving the country into hands of an outfit whose history is replete with mass killings, physical torture, abuse of women, denial of minority rights and support for religious extremism will be a nothing less than yet another appeasement. The Taliban leadership might agree to the international community’s conditions but will eventually resort to mindless violence once the U.S. and its allies leave the region, leaving all of those brave Afghan men and women who have stood up against these mindless killers at the mercy of these killers.
Nadeem Nusrat concluded that the U.S. military’s presence in the country since 2001 has helped emerge a new generation of educated, moderate and nationalist Afghans. This generation is gradually taking the country into the right direction and it must be allowed to continue. This is not only vital for peace in Afghanistan, but equally critical for peace throughout South Asia as well as the rest of the world.
