Contact a correspondent in Afghanistan
She has had fifteen years of experience in conflict mitigation and post-conflict reconstruction. Zimmer-Zahine studied in the United States. She served, among other things, as a UN liaison to NATO and is the founder of the South Carolina-based PeaceWorks Alliance. She currently writes editorials for the leading Afghani weekly Mujal-i-Killid.
Her editorials focus on issues of conflict and peace in the Afghani region, as well as the influences of US politics and NATO in Afghanistan.
“Does the recent Democratic victory in the US matter for Afghanistan?”
- November 15, 2006
The article considers the possible effects that the recent vote in the US could have on Afghanistan’s own internal politics and relations with the US.
“A genuine call for peace from Pakistan’s Pashtun leaders.”
- November 26, 2006
In this editorial, Zimmer-Zahine argues for conciliation between Kabul and Islamabad, in order to avoid a reversal to fundamentalism and extremism, which would destroy the US, Pakistani, Afghani and NATO ongoing work for peace.
“Are more NATO troops really the solution for Afghanistan?”
- December 1, 2006
This article proposes a four-step strategy to resolve the ‘failure’ of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan in the past five years, a ripple that could affect international relations on a world scale.
Please feel free to contact the Editors Weblog or Melek Zimmer-Zahine directly at mzoverseas@yahoo.com for her services or to read the editorials.
Source: Melek Zimmer-Zahine
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Pakistan and the Afghan War
Ehsan Azari
Pakistan has had a major share in bloodshed and destruction of Afghanistan in the past 30 years. Pakistan's shameless meddling in Afghanistan produced more destruction in Afghanistan than the Russian invasion. Pakistani Inter-service Intelligence, in a clandestine operation now continues to supervise Taliban's military operations in Afghanistan. In order to hide its operation, Pakistan draws on its own Islamist parties for its meddling.
Pakistani ISI has two heads, one is represented by a duplicitous general and the second is symbolized by a bag of lies mullah. It sends generals to Washington and London to show a false loyalty of Pakistan in war on terror. And the turbaned mullah is sent to the Taliban ad the terrorists for giving assurance that it is a true sponsor and supporter of terrorism.
The funny side of the story is that Washington and London has been turning blind eyes to Pakistan's luceferous duplicity, and double game in war on terror. Mr. Bush has always flatters General Musharaf by calling him his loyal ally and even the only bulwark against the Islamists in his broader war on international terrorism. In addition the US provides Pakistan with an annual $3 billion in military and other aid. This is Bush’s award for a criminal general and his illegal regime to kill more American young soldiers, destroy Afghan villages, and massacre thousands of Afghan children, women, and elderly people.
This is really a mystery of Bush’s administration as how it is being fooled by Pakistani mullahs and generals who in a concerted and top secret program manipulate the instability in Afghanistan, and support the most retrograde and medieval Islamic groups. If Mr. Bush really is concerned with the American increasing loss of lives, and war on terror, he must be furious first and foremost with Pakistani ruling generals and mullahs. Pakistan virtually helps militarily and financially and even legitimizes the medieval Taliban and their terrorist guests the very people Mr. Bush claims to eradicate.
Pakistan sees Al-Qaida and Taliban its potential asset that can serve as a free army both in its internal and external politics. Inside Pakistan, the Islamists parties that now rule Pakistan north-western provincial government help the ruling generals to crash any voice for democracy and human right. In the meantime, the same Islamists serve as a cheap army to secure geopolitical and regional claims of the regime.
The newest ploy of the regime is to build a fence along its border with Afghanistan, apparently to prevent Pakistan’s territory from using by the Taliban. Pakistani foreign office in a statement said, “To ensure that Pakistan’s territory is not used for violence inside Afghanistan, there should be selective fencing of the international border of Pakistan and Afghanistan and selective mining as well.” I would not be surprised if Pakistani generals manage to pocket millions of dollars from Mr. Bush’s administration as assistance for building the fence.
This fence is nothing more than a joke. First, Pakistan is unable to fence those hot spots of cross-border violence, because it is geographically impossible. Second, Pakistan doesn’t have control over many of its ragged border areas. Pakistan’s peace deal with the Taliban’s controlled north and South Waziristan on Sept. 5 is an example of how this country is playing a double game of helping half-heartedly the US in its war on terror, and recognizing Taliban’s rule over its own territory. Go to Waziristan and see on your naked eyes, scores of Taliban and Al-Qaida training camps, laboratories of heroin and a very dangerous network of international arm smuggling. Yesterday, thousands of Pushtuns living in Pakistani side of the Durand line took to the streets and called for an immediate cessation of Pakistan’s meddling in Afghanistan. Is there solid evidence then this of Pakistan duplicity in war on terror? Scores of Pakistani Jehadists have been captured from time to time in Afghanistan who testifies with evidence of ISI active and direct involvement in violence and insurgency in Afghanistan.
God alone knows when the West will be awakening to its slumber. If Mr. Bush is serious in his war, he must know that the Afghan war can only be won in Pakistan, and nothing else!