Don’t blame Pakistan for ‘unwinnable’ Afghan war: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan is not to be blamed for the fact that 300,000-plus well-trained and well-equipped Afghan security forces saw no reason to fight the lightly armed Taliban. The underlying problem was an Afghan government structure lacking legitimacy in the eyes of the average Afghan. PM Imran, in his article in American newspaper, said that, while watching recent congressional hearing, he was surprised to see that no mention was made of Pakistan’s sacrifices as a U.S. ally in the war on terror for more than two decades. Instead, we were blamed for America’s loss. The premier added that since 2001, he has repeatedly warned that the Afghan war was unwinnable. Given their history, Afghans would never accept a protracted foreign military presence, and no outsider, including Pakistan, could change this reality. “Unfortunately, successive Pakistani governments after 9/11 sought to please the United States instead of pointing out the error of a military-dominated approach. Desperate for global relevance and domestic legitimacy, Pakistan’s military dictator Pervez Musharraf agreed to every American demand for military support after 9/11. This cost Pakistan, and the United States, dearly.” Imran Khan stressed that Afghanistan is at another crossroads but we must look to the future to prevent another violent conflict in that country rather than perpetuating the blame game of the past. Prime Minister Khan on Monday also performed the groundbreaking of the Karachi Circular Railway project during a ceremony held at the Cantonment Railway Station in the metropolis. Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Railways Minister Azam Khan Swati, the Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah, and Governor of Sindh Imran Ismail were also in attendance. The premier started his address by talking about the importance of Karachi, saying that the city, despite holding immense significance, had unfortunately faced a decline due to several problems in the past. As a result, the whole country was affected. “In the 1980s, Karachi was on its way to development and was taking off but, unfortunately, its progress declined,” PM Khan said. He, however, lauded his government for taking initiatives to redevelop the city, such as the Karachi Transformation Plan, which was introduced in 2020. “We initiated the Karachi Transformation Plan, in collaboration with the Sindh government, to uplift the metropolis,” the premier said, adding that in order to resolve the issues faced by Karachi, both the Centre and the provincial government will have to work together. “The federal government cannot resolve the issues of Karachi on its own, therefore, it is imperative for the provincial government to cooperate.” Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday held meetings with delegations of politicians from Sindh and discussed the political situation in the province. Federal Ministers Asad Umar, Ali Zaidi, Special Assistant to PM Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail and Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Aleem Adil Shaikh were present in the meetings. During the meetings, Abdul Raheem Katia, Zafar Ali Shah, Ghous Ali Shah, Syed Safdar Ali Shah and Barrister Mustafa Mehsar announced their inclusion in Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf.