Holbrooke: India can play an important role in Afghanistan; US Armed Services Committee Chairman describes Haqqani network as the "greatest external threat" to Afghanistan; Gen Petraeus calls for banning the Haqqani network;
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print
  • Ahead of a significant international donors’ conference in Kabul on July 20 which is aimed at re-integration of Taliban, the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said that India can play an important role in Afghanistan. Holbrooke stated, "India has a very real role in the region for historic and strategic reasons… and they can play an important role in resolving these issue." However he noted that it was for New Delhi to decide "who will represent India and how that will be done.” Holbrooke made these comments during a meeting with the Indian ambassador to the US Meera Shankar while briefing her about his recent trip to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.1

    Meanwhile, Chairman of the US Armed Services Committee Senator Carl Levin who recently visited Af-Pak region has described the Haqqani network as the greatest external threat to Afghanistan. He stated “At the moment, the Haqqani network and their fighters coming over the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan is the greatest threat, at least external threat, to Afghanistan”. He added that “More needs to be done by Pakistan” to curb their activities. However reports noted that under pressure from key lawmakers and top military commanders, the Obama administration is now considering putting the Haqqani group and the Taliban's Quetta Shura on the terror list.2 Reports noted that top NATO commander in Afghanistan Gen David Petraeus has mooted the idea of blacklisting the Haqqani network.3

    US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and India’s External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna would be among many foreign ministers and international leaders who will attend the Kabul conference on July 20. The Kabul conference is said to be largest gathering of international leaders in Afghanistan since 1970s. This conference is a follow up to the London conference held early this year. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will also attend the conference.4

    According to an article published in US based Long War journal, Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of the chief Taliban allies which are fighting in Afghanistan against international coalition forces. This report confirms that LeT has morphed into a transnational jihadi force. The research also points out that LeT remains Pakistan's favourite terror group to be used against India. However, Hafiz Saeed's outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa has grown over the years to emerge as a pan-Islamic jihad group which provides training to Al Qaida and Taliban operatives at its training camps, the article notes.5

    The European Union aid package to Afghanistan worth 600 million Euros which was to be delivered in the next three years period has now been postponed until September this year. According to the EU's envoy in Afghanistan, "The EU deliberately postponed the three-year aid package from May until September to see what the Afghan priorities are and how our programme fits into those priorities."6

    Meanwhile, Afghanistan cabinet has approved a bill which will allow ministers and senior officials accused of corruption to be put on trial. Once the bill passed by parliament, it will allow the creation of a special tribunal to try officials accused of graft, a presidential spokesperson Waheed Omar noted. It would be worth noting that under Afghan law, ministers are immune from prosecution in ordinary courts.7

    In other developments, Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Andrei Avetisyan has noted that Russia is ready to cooperate with NATO on the issues of arms supplies to Afghanistan. Russia is ready “to cooperate with Afghanistan and NATO unilaterally in this respect," Avetisyan stated.8

    Top