KARACHI: The Global and Regional Studies Centre at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) recently held a webinar on the ‘US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the unfolding anarchy implication for Pakistan.’
The panellists included Ambassador Asif Durrani, Ambassador Alam Brohi, and Syed Muhammad Ali, director, Strategic Affairs, Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS).
Ambassador Ghulam Rasool Baluch was the moderator.
“The US will continue to influence Afghanistan’s politics despite its exit,” said Asif Durrani.
Ambassador Brohi said that Taliban were trying to capture Afghanistan’s rural areas while encircling urban centres. If the Afghan military secured urban centres, the civil war was expected to be fiercer than before.
He called upon Pakistan’s foreign ministry and establishment to curb any possible crisis that may arise.
Muhammad Ali said that the US was leaving Afghanistan, not because of war fatigue but Biden administration’s objective to return to “great power competition”.
The US will reduce its engagements in the developing world to contain China’s rise as a superpower. He added that the Taliban, after acquiring power, should convert their hard power success into political legitimacy and international diplomatic recognition.
Pakistan should be prepared to handle a major exodus of Afghan refugees from Afghanistan, it was observed.
Mr Ali added that regional neighbours should work towards Afghanistan’s nation-building by offering security assurance for their collective interests.
Ambassador Baluch said that the Afghan crisis would reach its crescendo. The challenge for Afghan leadership primarily, and the neighbours and the world in general, is how to prevent this calamity, he added.
The world will help Afghanistan once there is internal peace.
In his closing remarks, Ambassador Baluch said that diplomatic initiatives should engage regional countries such as China, Turkey, Iran, Russia, and even India to ensure that they do not exploit any turmoil that may arise in Afghanistan.
He added that the UN and international community must be brought into the framework to prevent humanitarian disaster which might occur due to unfolding anarchy in Afghanistan.
Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2021