Afghanistan Times
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Despite regional and international pressure on Pakistan to shun its project of terrorism and start result-oriented crackdown against the Afghan Taliban and the notorious Haqqani terrorist network on its soil, the pro-terror and hostile neighbor stubbornly stuck to its project of global terrorism, allowing its soil as a launching pad for terrorist and destructive attacks in Afghanistan in order to sustain instability and undermining US/NATO interests in the region. Following the deadliest wave of violence across the country, Pakistan-based terrorist groups launched a coordinated attack on Inter-Continental Hotel in capital, Kabul on Saturday night in which several guests, including some foreigners were killed, and some others sustained injuries. The assault on hotel, ended with all the attackers killed by the security forces, is being condemned by the President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the National Security Adviser Haneef Atmar and general Afghan masses in strongest terms. The terror attack on five stars hotel in Kabul where elite class and foreigners have been holding meetings and resides there was meant to create further terror and uncertainty among the country’s people and our strategic partners in the region and around the globe. Terrorists carried out attack just days after the US Embassy in Kabul issued a warning of possible attack on hotels in Kabul, but required preventive measures were not taken by the government which is an indicator to the incompetency among the government ranks. Based on reports, security of the hotel was assigned to a private security firm which is not a wise decision. Who would be held accountable for the security leakages—the private security firm or the hotel owner or the government? With having a brave Afghan security forces, the issue of private security firm is the main question, has to be find out, and held accountable those behind it. The heart-wrenching incident should be investigated in the light of US Embassy’s warning and make public wherever the fault line was. It’s neither a simple issue nor related only to the hotel administration or a private security firm. The government leadership and security institutions should go through their fundamental responsibilities, when it comes to national interests and security of the country, especially capital, Kabul. War strategy of terrorist groups and the notorious agenda of Pakistan must be estimated and put all out efforts on card to confront and defeat them. Terrorist attacks, like truck bombing in diplomatic square on May 31, last year, and the recent one on five stars hotel in capital is a part of the notorious agenda of Pakistan, aimed at spreading uncertainty and hurting the country’s image. Being a front line state in war on terror, Afghanistan and its people have been paying highest price at the hands of Pakistan-based terrorist groups and terror sponsor states. Continued silence, confined to three-line condemnation messages on Twitter and Facebook against the open aggression by Pakistan and its war proxies could neither easy our job, nor hails the wounds of Afghan people. It’s time for us to overcome our internal weakness first, and then with the kind support of US/NATO and India, all the terrorist groups and terror sponsor state-Pakistan must be triggered into the court of justice by revisiting the so-called Durand Line. One thing is very much clear that peace and stability could not be prevailed in the region and around the globe, as long as terror havens and the hosting country-Pakistan remain untouched. Unfortunately, the Afghan quagmire, posed by Pakistan’s forward policy has never been measured according to its historical context. The most important context of the conflict is the historical context of the conflict reflecting and highlighting the cynical colonial great game mindset of the players involved in the conflict. Unfortunately, the historical context is gone unheeded, undermined and overlooked. Afghan officials, stuck to chairs and individual interests are badly failed in representing the Afghan case in true letters and spirit, as per historical context and adopting an offensive strategy, instead of defensive one against Pakistan. Despite enormous sacrifices rendered by the Afghan security forces and general masses for the past 16 years and the extra-ordinary support by the international community to Kabul, the war on terror and Pakistan sponsored terrorists is far from wining any comfortable victory. Unless the government is purged off the imposters and incompetents among the civil and military establishment of the country and deal with the historical context of the conflict, Afghanistan and its allies would never be able to win the war on terror. We are in dire need of effective diplomacy and counter-narratives, based on strengthening the Afghan security forces, materializing the new US strategy on South Asia and proper support to freedom movements in Pakistan.
