ISLAMABAD, Dec 21: It is too soon to suggest that Afghanistan’s interim set up, which will take charge today, will come up to the world’s expectation as a strong and stable government.

This was observed at a panel discussion on “The post-Bonn scenario”, organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Friday.

Imtiaz Gul, one of the two guest speakers said Hamid Karazai will face horrendous task in running its interim government.

Three key ministers in the new cabinet are Tajiks and Uzbeks — Interior Minister Yunas Qanuni, Defence Minister Gen Faheem and Foreign Minister Abdullah — who are famous for their animosity towards Pakhtoons.

He said, the second daunting task that Karazai’s government will confront, is its relation with Pakistan. Majority of his cabinet members are against ties with Pakistan owing to its close relation with Talibans.

Mr Qanuni, who recently visited India has expressed his hostile feelings against Pakistan and denied its role in Afghanistan.

Immediately after the Bonn agreement top officials of the new government flew to India to seek its help in restructuring of Afghanistan, he emphasized.

Referring to the reports appearing in the press that Pakistan’s foreign minister will be killed if he visits Afghanistan, he said, this is a temporary phase and will be soon over.

He warned Afghans can never be anybody’s puppet. Hikmatyar had looked the other way when he was sworn in as prime minister in 1992.

Pakistan, inspite of its close relations with Taliban, were unable to persuade them to hand over Osama-bin-Laden. He said, let’s wait for the Loya Jirga to convene which will be the real test for the Afghan factions. “Interim government is just the first step towards normalization in Afghanistan.

Mr Ayaz Amir, who spoke at the discussion termed the interim government, a step towards Afghanistan’s rehabilitation which had been bombed to rubble over the last 20 years.

Originally, it were Russians who destabilised Afghan society. Later, the West, under the leadership of the US, came to the landlocked country to counter Communism.

Pakistan was not sucked into the conflict but it was its leadership’s decision to join the chorus. Chinese and Arabs were romped in by the West, he maintained.

He said the consensus of opinion against Soviet Union was so dominant that no voices of dissidents were heard at that time which lead to the all out efforts to fight against Russia.

After the Russians pull out from Afghanistan, the US embarked on an hands off policy towards Afghanistan, which lead Pakistan into an unending fix.

He said the rise of Taliban was inevitable, given the circumstances where there was a power vacuum after the withdrawal of Soviet Union.

Pakistan took it as an heaven sent opportunity and started peddling a bizarre kind of foreign policy to have strategic depth on its western borders but the whole exercise came to naught.

“Till September 11 we were convinced that it was the right choice but after terrorist attacks in the US, things went other way round,” he said.

Mr Mir welcomed the change in Pakistan’s Afghan policy, adding, it would benefit Pakistan in future. “It is not advisable for Pakistani leadership to reject non-Pushtoon elements of the Afghanistan’s interim government,” he said and suggested an off-hand Afghan policy for sometime.

“Let the international community share the responsibility of Afghanistan’s reconstruction. Pakistan should turn its attention to its domestic issues”, he said.

He advised Pakistan to change its Jihadi outlook, otherwise India would get world’s support against Pakistan.

In response to a question he said, Pakistan has to deal with these Jihadi groups to satisfy the commity of nations.