Zalmay Khalilzad in Kabul Rings Alarms in Pakistan
Zalmay Khalilzad leads US delegation in talk with the Taliban in Kabul (Image credit X.com)
Trump Eyes Afghanistan in Taliban Reproachment
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, March 23: “Happy National Day to the people of Pakistan — despite the sad conditions in their country!” said Zalmay Khalilzad in a post on X. His comment summed up growing alarms in Islamabad over the likelihood of appointment of Zalmay Khalilzad as US ambassador in Kabul.
Zalmay Khalilzad led an American delegation to call on the Taliban leadership. The US established the first contact with the Taliban administration after the fall of Kabul in 2001. The delegation called on Afghanistan’s foreign affairs minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The Taliban had been overjoyed with the decision of the Donald Trump administration. The US is soon likely to open its embassy in Kabul. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan is on a fast-paced path for international recognition. This is being paved by Trump’s normalisation of ties.
Alarm in Islamabad is more acute for the fact that Khalilzad is an avid admirer of deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. Khalilzad and Khan sought close relations of Pakistan with the Taliban.
“Pakistan could have done the same which Zalmay Khalilzad did alone, but Pakistani government members failed to understand his importance and used all their political and diplomatic efforts to malign him and keep Khan in the hail,” commented Muhammed Faisal, a human right activist.
The US-based commentators claim that “Khalilzad’s appointment as the new US ambassador to Afghanistan will be the worst possible outcome for Pakistan”. Khalilzad has deep ties with the leaders of the Taliban.
The Taliban administration in Afghanistan launched counter-offensives against Pakistan, allegedly killing several soldiers in the border areas. The Taliban refuse to recognise the Durand Line, the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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The Taliban quickly freed George Glezmann, who had been held prisoner in Afghanistan. His release was cheered by Trump.
Geopolitical experts noted that the US didn’t need the help of Pakistan in freeing Glezmann. This makes the situation of Pakistan precarious. Pakistan is already facing heat amid massive volley of attacks by rebels against security forces in Balochistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions. Pakistan often blamed the Taliban supported militants for launching attacks within the country. Worrisome for Pakistan is the fact that China’s BRI-funded CPEC is now under a barrage of attacks.
Khalilzad had played a key role in securing the Doha Agreement under which the Taliban returned to power in Kabul. Now, Khalilzad has established as an indispensable diplomat for the US in the AfPak region. Pakistan had launched air strikes within Afghanistan recently.
“His position on Imran Khan could create further problems for Pakistan’s security establishment,” said a security analyst who on X goes by the username FJ.
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