Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai is leaving for a two-day visit to India where he is to meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior officials, his spokesman said Wednesday. “President Karzai’s visit is aimed to discuss regional economic capacity development with the Indian authorities,” Seyamak Herawi said. “He will also meet with the [...]
Posts Tagged ‘President Karzai’
Afghanistan president to visit India
February 2nd, 2011 |
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Karzai: Afghan war strategy ineffective
August 31st, 2010 |
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai has again harshly criticized coalition strategy for fighting Afghanistan’s stubborn insurgency. President Karzai said in a meeting Sunday with the visiting German Parliament speaker Norbert Lammer the current strategy has been “ineffective” and has not achieved anything other than “killing civilians.”
PM for joint monitoring on Pak-Afghan border
July 21st, 2010 |
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ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has emphasised the need of joint monitoring on Pak-Afghan border and increased sharing of information on the cross-border movement of militants between Pakistan and NATO-ISAF.
The Prime Minister was talking to Secretary General NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen who called on him at the Prime MinisterÂ’s Secretariat on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister welcomed the proposal for signing a Framework Agreement between Pakistan and NATO through Joint Political Declaration and hoped that both sides would exchange drafts of the proposed declaration in the near future to finalise it for signing as soon as possible. The Prime Minister also appreciated NATOÂ’s training facilities for PakistanÂ’s military and civilian personnel and hoped that this cooperation would be further expanded to strengthen his countryÂ’s counterterrorism and counterinsurgency capabilities.
The Prime Minister thanked the NATOÂ’s Secretary General for his intersession with the European Union leadership on PakistanÂ’s behalf for granting the GSP Plus facility and greater access to Pakistani products in the European markets. PakistanÂ’s economic development and progress, he added, is a prerequisite for successfully confronting the threat of terrorism and its allies must help it in this regard through greater market access.
The Prime Minister drew the attention of the Secretary General to the need of refurbishment of the road infrastructure for facilitating smooth supplies to ISAF through Pakistan and sought NATOÂ’s assistance in improving the related road network in the country.
The Prime Minister stated that despite immense human and material losses, Pakistan had demonstrated its commitment to combat terrorism, extremism and militancy. The sacrifices made by the people of Pakistan and its Armed Forces remain unparalleled but his Government had been able to retain the domestic consensus and peopleÂ’s ownership of struggle against terrorism. The Government of Pakistan attaches high priority to provide relief and rehabilitation to the returnees to the affected areas and reconstruction of the areas cleared from the militants. The international community should assist Pakistan in these efforts, he added.
Dilating on the role of NATO and ISAF in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister stressed that the international community must stay engaged and facilitate efforts of the Afghan Government to rebuild its state institutions and related capacity. He reiterated PakistanÂ’s offer for the training of the Afghan National Army, National Police and civil bureaucracy.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen commended the Prime Minister, his Government and Pakistani Armed Forces for resolutely pursuing the campaign against terrorism. He expressed his satisfaction over the ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and NATO and vowed to expedite finalisation of Joint Political Declaration between the two sides. The Secretary General said that NATO would like to have a long-term and robust cooperation going beyond resolution of Afghanistan crisis.
He stated that NATO, besides capacity building of PakistanÂ’s military and civil officers in anti-terrorism fields, was willing to provide training to concerned Pakistani agencies personnel in anti-narcotics drive.
He termed the Kabul Conference, held on Tuesday last, as very successful and stated that the participating countries had agreed to President KarzaiÂ’s idea that the Afghan forces should be enabled to take over the law enforcement duties from the NATO and ISAF by the end of 2014. The NATO would accord every possible assistance to Afghan government to achieve that goal.
Kabul Conference supports reconciliation plan with Taliban
July 20th, 2010 |
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KABUL (AFP/Reuters) – A major international conference in Kabul on Tuesday ended with an endorsement of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s plans to make peace with insurgents in an effort to end a nearly nine-year war.
“Participants welcomed and endorsed in principle the Afghan government’s peace and reintegration programme,” said the final communique seen by AFP.
Karzai last month won approval from Afghan leaders to start peace talks with insurgent leaders and called on the international community to back his efforts – despite at least initial scepticism from the United States.
Karzai’s programme is open to insurgents, “who renounce violence, have no links to international terrorist organisations, respect the constitution and are willing to join in building a peaceful Afghanistan,” the statement noted.
The conference also called for at least 50 percent of development aid for the country to be channelled through the Afghan governmentÂ’s budget within two years.
“Participants restated their strong support for channelling at least 50 percent of development aid through the Afghan government’s core budget within two years,” said a copy of the final statement read out to AFP.
But it called on the Afghan government to bring about necessary reforms to strengthen public financial management systems, reduce corruption, improve budget execution and increase revenue collection.
The conference endorsed President KarzaiÂ’s objective for Afghan forces to take responsibility for security in the country by the end of 2014.
“Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) should lead and conduct military operations in all provinces by the end of 2014,” said the communique.
Addressing the conference, Karzai sought to convince the participants that his government could assume security responsibility by 2014 and demanded greater control of aid money.
Karzai is under massive Western pressure to crack down on corruption and take the lead in facing down a nine-year Taliban insurgency now killing record numbers of foreign soldiers and swallowing billion of dollars of money.
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led representatives from 70 organisations and countries who urged Kabul to work harder towards its goals, end graft and ensure that aid money was best spent.
“I remain determined that our Afghan national security forces will be responsible for all military and law enforcement operations throughout our country by 2014,” said Karzai in his opening address.
Karzai said the international community had committed enough money to see Afghanistan through the next three years and called for greater control of the multi-billion-dollar aid budget for his impoverished country.
“We all agree that steady transition to Afghan leadership and ownership is the key to sustainability,” he said.
He called on foreign allies to invest in major infrastructure projects that can transform the lives of Afghans instead of isolated projects that have minimal impact, do not win widespread public favour or support good governance.
Since 2001, only 20 percent of the total 40 billion dollars of pledged international aid had been channelled through the Afghan budget, leading to serious corruption among the rest.
The United States plans to start withdrawing troops from July next year, and Ms Clinton told the conference that the target date underscored the urgency of transferring more security responsibility to the Afghan government.
“The July 2011 date captures both our sense of urgency and the strength of our resolve. The transition process is too important to push off indefinitely,” she said.
“The Afghan government is stepping forward to deal with a multitude of difficult challenges. We’re encouraged by much of what we see, particularly their work to improve governance,” Ms Clinton said.
“These steps are important. But much more work remains,” she said.
NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the conference that the alliance would remain in Afghanistan even after Afghans take responsibility for security.
Lawmaker Sultanzoi said Afghanistan would rely on foreign military help until the national mindset changed.
“It is not just the equipment and gear and technical things,” he said. “It is also a culture that a national army has to possess in order to take control of the defence of a nation.”
But British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the conference that the country was moving in the right direction.
“Both the army and the police are well on track to meet their 2011 growth targets,” he said. “The transition to full Afghan security responsibility should be gradual and determined by Afghan capability, but it should be able to start soon.”
Hague called for improved financial management to ensure that money was being best spent.
“We will always need to see that the government is making the best possible use of our, and its own money.
“This means continuing on a path of improved financial management and budget execution, as well as tackling corruption at all times,” he said.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said improved governance was vital. “Better management of public finance is key and will also encourage donors to route more assistance through the Afghan government,” she said.
Karzai last month won endorsement from Afghan leaders to start peace talks with insurgent leaders and called on the international community to back his efforts – despite at least initial scepticism from the United States.
Afghanistan a ‘contest of wills’: Petraeus
June 29th, 2010 |
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WASHINGTON – The July 2011 deadline for beginning US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan “is the beginning of a process, not the date when the US heads for the exits,” Gen David Petraeus told Senators on Tuesday.
But while Petraeus – who is being questioned during his Senate Armed Service Committee confirmation hearings to be appointed new commander of US forces in Afghanistan – emphasised his support for the deadline set by President Barack Obama, he also said that the pace of any US withdrawals next year should be “responsible” and determined by conditions on the ground at the time.
His careful explanation reflects the ongoing tension between the military, which wants to stay longer in Afghanistan, and some within the Obama administration, who favour a rapid drawdown and a shift to a smaller military footprint.
Petraeus was chosen last week by Obama to take command in Afghanistan after the previous commander, Gen Stanley A McChrystal, was fired over comments he and his several aides made in a Rolling Stone article.
Petraeus is expected to be easily confirmed, perhaps later this week.
The General assured Afghanistan and Pakistan of enduring American commitment to the region as he also underlined PakistanÂ’s role in the Afghan reconciliation process, saying that US relationship with Pakistan was vitally important.
“That relationship (with Pakistan) is crucially important. And we have worked very very hard (at it) as did Admiral Mullen (chairman Joint Chiefs) and as did by the way General McChrystal,” he said referring to the American commanders’ visits to Islamabad for meetings with Pakistani leaders and Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
“It is going to be a number of years before Afghan forces can truly handle the security tasks in Afghanistan on their own. The commitment to Afghanistan is necessarily, therefore, an enduring one and neither the Taliban nor our Afghan and Pakistani partners should doubt that,” he stated.
On the possibility of an agreement between the Afghan government and militants, who wish to join reconciliation process, Petraeus explained, “It will depend on a number of factors this summer.”
Petraeus, who Tuesday morning had a conversation with President Hamid Karzai on his way to the hearing, also said the Afghan leader “assured me that he has not met a Haqqani network group leader in recent days or I think at any time.”
“With respect to Pakistani involvement in some form of reconciliation agreement, I think, that is essential,” Petraeus, who heads the US central command, said.
He was responding to a question by Chairman of the Committee Senator Carl Levin on PakistanÂ’s potential to broker a reconciliation deal between the Taliban leadership and Afghan government at this time.
Petraeus said the relationship between the Afghan and Pakistani governments and their militaries is critical. “They are always going to be neighbours. They have had at various times differing objectives and what we need to do is to help them realise that there are mutual objectives that could help each country more if they seek them, rather than by seeking objectives that are in conflict.”
Asked by a lawmaker how the US “will work with the Afghan government to manage Pakistan’s strategic interests” in Afghanistan, Petraeus replied, “We can facilitate the dialogue, participate in the dialogue, be an honest
broker, we are friends to both. We are enormously enabling both. Pakistan is in a tough fight. One of its fights, by the way, is to keep our lines of communication open.”
For its part, he said, the United States provide substantial coalition support funding, foreign military financing and economic aid as under the Kerry-Lugar Act, passed last year.
Over the weekend, President Obama characterised the increasing contacts between Pakistan and Afghanistan as “useful” but suggested caution at the early stage of the negotiations process.
Petraeus offered a mixed assessment of the progress of the war, predicting that violence would get worse in coming months but asserting that the US and its allies have made progress in Helmand province and other areas.
“My sense is that the tough fighting will continue; indeed, it may get more intense in the next few months,” Petraeus said. “As we take away the enemy’s safe havens and reduce the enemy’s freedom of action, the insurgents will fight back.”
Petraeus, who was directly involved in formulating the current strategy as head of US Central Command, did not signal any immediate change of direction in his statement. But he noted that some US soldiers have complained about rules of engagement and tactical rules set by McChrystal aimed at preventing civilian casualties.
“Those on the ground must have all the support they need when they are in a tough situation,” Petraeus said, noting that since he was nominated for the command position he has spoken about the issues with President Karzai and other Afghan officials, who long have complained about civilian casualties.
“I am keenly aware of concerns by some of our troopers on the ground about the application of our rules of engagement and the tactical directive. They should know that I will look very hard at this issue,” Petraeus said.
He added, however, that he would continue McChrystalÂ’s emphasis on reducing civilian casualties.
In an opening statement, Senator Levin, the chairman, strongly supported the July 2011 date for the beginning of withdrawals of United States troops from Afghanistan but also said that progress there was “spotty” and that he remained “deeply concerned” by reports that relatively few Afghan Army troops were in the lead in operations in the south.
Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, declared in his opening statement that Afghanistan was “not a lost cause,” and that “the Afghans do not want the Taliban back.”
The hearing comes at a time of rising violence in Afghanistan, as an expanded troop contingent wages a wider, more aggressive fight. It also comes at a time of growing doubts – in Congress, among ordinary Americans and even among some in the military – that the war can be won.
Pak plan for Afghan peace leaves US wary
June 28th, 2010 |
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NEW YORK – US President Barack Obama and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency were at variance on Sunday in assessing the Afghanistan peace deal being promoted by Pakistan between the Afghan government and some Taliban militants.
While urging caution, Obama, in Canada, called the Pakistani move “useful step”, saying a political solution to the conflict was necessary and suggested elements of the Taliban insurgency could be part of negotiations. But, earlier in the day, CIA Cirector Leon Panetta forcefully expressed his doubts about the plan.
“We have seen no evidence that they are truly interested in reconciliation, where they would surrender their arms, where they would denounce Al-Qaeda, where they would really try to become part of that society,” Panetta said in Washington on ABC’s “This Week”.
Acknowledging that the American-led counterinsurgency effort was facing unexpected difficulty, Panetta said that the Taliban and their allies had little motive to contemplate a power-sharing arrangement in Afghanistan.
But the President was diplomatic when asked about whether efforts by Pakistan and Afghanistan to reintegrate Taliban were a good idea.
“I think it’s too early to tell. I think we have to view these efforts with scepticism but also with openness,” the President said while responding to questions at a Press conference marking the end of the G-20 summit in Toronto, Canada.
According to the New York Times, the US President avoided any direct comment on whether the Haqqani network, the Taliban group reportedly proposed by Pakistan as part of a power-sharing deal, could become part of AfghanistanÂ’s future leadership.
But, he said, “conversations between the Afghan government and the Pakistani government, building trust between those two governments, are a useful step.”
Obama also said a political solution to the conflict was necessary and suggested elements of the Taliban insurgency could be part of negotiations.
He noted that as the Afghanistan war approached its 10th anniversary, it was the longest foreign war in American history, and that “ultimately as was true in Iraq, so will be true in Afghanistan, we will have to have a political solution.”
As for Pakistan’s effort to broker talks, Obama added, “I think it’s too early to tell. I think we have to view these efforts with scepticism but also with openness. The Taliban is a blend of hardcore ideologues, tribal leaders, kids that basically sign up because it’s the best job available to them. Not all of them are going to be thinking the same way about the Afghan government, about the future of Afghanistan. And so we’re going to have to sort through how these talks take place.”
The comments Sunday were the administrationÂ’s first public response to a report of PakistanÂ’s deal-brokering efforts last week in The New York Times.
On Saturday, The New York Times said AfghanistanÂ’s minority communities – Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara – have vowed to resist, and if necessary, fight, any deal that involves bringing members of the Taliban insurgency into a power-sharing arrangement with President Hamid KarzaiÂ’s government.
In an earlier dispatch in The Times, Pakistani officials were quoted as saying they can deliver the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, an ally of Al-Qaeda who runs a major part of the insurgency in Afghanistan, into a power-sharing arrangement with the Afghan government.
American commanders have concluded that only a political settlement can end the war, the report said. But in helping Karzai to make a deal, they risk reigniting AfghanistanÂ’s ethnic strife.
The leaders of these minority communities say that President Karzai appears determined to hand Taliban leaders a share of power – and Pakistan a large degree of influence inside the country, according to The Times. The Americans, desperate to end their involvement here, are helping Karzai along and shunning the Afghan opposition, they say.
Agencies add: US President Obama contended America would be less secure if Al-Qaeda still could be housed in Afghanistan, and contended there remains “a vital national interest that Afghanistan not be used as a base to launch terrorist attacks”.
He also said the US intends “to be a partner for Afghanistan for the long term, but that is different than us having troops on the ground”, adding that a political solution is needed as well as a military one to the Afghan conflict.
Obama sought to shelve what he sees as a false choice between “either we get up and leave (Afghanistan) immediately because there’s no chance for a positive outcome or we stay indefinitely.”
Still, Obama said, “We’re going to need to provide assistance to Afghanistan for a long time to come.”
The US President said that he will conduct a review of his new strategy in December, fix what is not working and then begin the transition next year.
“That doesn’t mean that we suddenly turn off the lights and let the door close behind us,” Obama said.
Obama acknowledged that “there has been a lot of obsession around this issue of when do we leave.”
But he said he is more interested in implementing his strategy and seeing results, and he will review whether or not the strategy is working after the December review.
Obama offered a rationale for the nationÂ’s very presence in Afghanistan.
“You’ll often hear, why are we in Afghanistan when the terrorists are in Pakistan?” Obama said.
N-retaliation if US hit by WMD: Hillary
April 11th, 2010 |
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WASHINGTON (Agencies) – The Obama Administration’s nuclear posture review may have removed some of the intentional ambiguity from US nuclear policy, but it does not leave the country any less safe, US President Obama’s top national security advisers said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
In fact, they said, it gives a clear warning to other state actors that the US will not ignore any growing threats.
“This is putting everybody on notice,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer in an interview aired on Sunday. “We don’t want more countries to go down the path that North Korea and Iran are.”
The revised nuclear policy says that the US will not use nuclear weapons to respond to a chemical or biological attack from a non-nuclear country.
The policy, however, leaves significant contingencies, said Secretary of Defence Robert Gates who also appeared on “Face the Nation”.
Countries which are non-signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (such as North Korea) or have been found to be non-compliant (such as Iran) are not exempt from nuclear retaliation under the Obama policy.
“We were concerned about the biological weapons,” Gates said, “and thatÂ’s why the President was very clear … if we see states developing biological weapons that we begin to think endanger us or create serious concerns, that he reserves the right to revise this policy.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US could not rule out using nuclear weapons if it came under biological attack, saying in that case “all bets are off.”
“If we can prove that a biological attack originated in a country that attacked us, then all bets are off,” she said.
Gates also pointed out that the policy dictates that any country that uses chemical or biological weapons against the US will “suffer a devastating conventional retaliation.”
In spite of recent strained relations between Kabul and Washington, Gates and Hillary defended Afghan President Hamid Karzai as a valuable and reliable partner, despite tensions over his outspoken comments.
Karzai had excellent relations with the head of US and Nato-led troops in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, Gates said.
“What I can tell you is that General McChrystal continues to meet with him regularly. They have a very positive relationship. He gets very good cooperation out of President Karzai,” said Gates told ABC’s “This Week.”
Both Gates and Hillary expressed support and understanding for Karzai in the latest attempt by Washington and Kabul to repair a rift triggered by the AfghanÂ’s presidentÂ’s controversial outbursts.
Karzai had accused foreign governments of orchestrating the fraud at last yearÂ’s elections that returned him to power, causing dismay in Washington.
Gates, offering an explanation for KarzaiÂ’s recent angry tone, said Washington had to be careful in its public remarks about the Afghan President, as sharp criticism of his performance could be received in Kabul as disrespect for Afghan sovereignty.
The US Defence Chief said “when there are attacks on him (Karzai), on his family, and what he perceives to be on Afghanistan itself, or insults to the sovereignty of Afghanistan, he’s going to react.”
“And he’s going to react strongly.”
Hillary said Karzai, like some other foreign leaders, suspects harsh words in American newspapers may reflect the US governmentÂ’s official stance.
She further said she had “a lot of sympathy for President Karzai and the extraordinary stress he lives under every single minute of every day.”
Gates said Karzai is playing a key role in military efforts to win control of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, by talking with tribal leaders and local officials to get their views and concerns.
Hillary said the US has reached out to Russia for cooperation in its missile defence programme.
“We would like to see a joint effort on missile defence because we don’t see the principle threat in nuclear terms coming from Russia, we see it coming from state actors like Iran or non- state actors like a terrorist organisation like Al-Qaeda getting a hold of nuclear materials,” she said.
The Pentagon chief said Iran is not on the threshold of producing a nuclear weapon and that its programme was progressing slower than Tehran expected.
“I’d just say, and it’s our judgment here, they are not nuclear capable,” Gates said in the interview. “Not yet.”
He said Iran was “continuing to make progress” in a nuclear programme that Washington suspects is a clandestine effort to develop an atomic arsenal.
“ItÂ’s going slower… than they anticipated. But they are moving in that direction,” he said.
The Pentagon chief also denied that the US administration was resigned to Iran becoming a nuclear-armed power.
“We have not… drawn that conclusion at all. And in fact, weÂ’re doing everything we can to try and keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons,” he said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued that Washington’s “patience” had helped build international support for sanctions against Iran.
She told NBC that “what we have found over the last months, because of our strategic patience, and our willingness to keep on this issue, is that countries are finally saying, ‘You know, I kind of get it … theyÂ’re the ones who shut the door, and now we have to do something.’”
White House could cancel Karzai visit
April 7th, 2010 |
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The White House said Tuesday it would consider cancelling the visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai if he continues to make controversial accusations against Western interference in the central Asian country.
Karzai is due in Washington in May, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said a meeting with President Barack Obama remained on the schedule “as [...]
Karzai told of Obama visit one hour before touchdown
March 29th, 2010 |
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US President Barack Obama’s visit to Kabul was shrouded in secrecy and even Afghan President Hamid Karzai was informed about his visit barely an hour before he arrived, a media report said Monday.
Karzai was notified about the visit just an hour before he arrived, Daily Mail quoted the White House as saying.
Obama Sunday made his [...]
5 killed in Kabul suicide attack
December 15th, 2009 |
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Kabul: At least five people have been killed in a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Reports say that several others have been injured.
According to the reports, the blast took place shortly before President Karzai opened a three-day conference on corruption there, amid pressure from the West to clamp down.
It happened near a hotel [...]
Karzai should seize the moment, end government corruption: Clinton
November 19th, 2009 |
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Visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai to seize the moment of his second term as head of state to end government corruption.
“President Karzai should seize this moment, and so should we. That is why President Obama is engaged in a careful and thorough review of our Afghanistan policy, [...]
India says looking forward to taking ties with Afghanistan forward under Karzai
November 4th, 2009 |
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The Indian Government on Tuesday said that it looks forward to taking New Delhi’’s ties with Afghanistan forward under the leadership of re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said: “We have noted the announcement by the Afghan Independent Election Commission on November 2, 2009 declaring President Hamid Karzai’’s re-election [...]
Obama congratulates Karzai, asks him to improve governance
November 3rd, 2009 |
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US President Barack Obama congratulated Hamid Karzai on his re-election as President of Afghanistan and asked him to improve governance, besides eradicating corruption.
Congratulating Karzai over telephone on his re-election on Tuesday, Obama told the Afghan leader that his administration needs to be more serious in its efforts to eradicate corruption.
Later, Obama said that Karzai assured [...]
UN chief in Kabul to discuss Afghan election
November 2nd, 2009 |
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The political uncertainty in Afghanistan has lend the United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon in Kabul on Monday for the purpose of holding talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai following the opposition’s decision to pull out of a run-off election scheduled for 7th November.
A statement released in reference to the deadly attack on a UN [...]
Afghan President Karzai’s brother receives regular pay from CIA: NYT
October 28th, 2009 |
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, who is alleged to be an important player in the country’s booming illegal opium trade, receives regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), according to current and former US officials.
The CIA pays Karzai for a variety of services, including helping to recruit an Afghan paramilitary force [...]
Af nudged by US to resolve political cris The political crisis in Afghanistan that has been marred by possible rigging, come to a point of being pressured by the International community with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for a word from the Afghan President Hamid Karzai on further situation on Tuesday. As a UN-backed panel threw out nearly a third of Hamid Karzai’s votes from the August Presidential polls, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Afghan President will “set the stage†for resolving the political crisis by announcing his intentions on Tuesday. Clinton also hoped that the crisis in the war-torn country would be resolved soon. “He is going to announce his intentions. I am going to let him do that, but I am encouraged at the direction the situation is moving,†Clinton told reporters at the State Department after meeting with Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki. She was responding to questions about the political crisis in Afghanistan in the wake of a UN-backed panel deciding to cut Karzai’s share of the vote to 48 per cent, below the threshold for an outright win. “I am very hopeful that we will see a resolution in line with the constitutional order in the next several days,†Clinton said. “But I don’t want to pre-empt in any way President Karzai’s statement, which will set the stage for how we go forward in the next stage of this,†she said, when asked whether Karzai has decided to accept the findings of a UN- backed fraud.is
October 20th, 2009 |
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The political crisis in Afghanistan that has been marred by possible rigging, come to a point of being pressured by the International community with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for a word from the Afghan President Hamid Karzai on further situation on Tuesday.
As a UN-backed panel threw out nearly a third of [...]
Gun attack on Afghan campaigner
July 28th, 2009 |
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A campaign manager of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has been badly hurt after his vehicle was attacked, officials say.
Officials say his car was shot at in Laghman province. His driver was killed in the assault.
The attack follows an assassination attempt on President Karzai’s running mate on Sunday. No group has claimed responsibility for either incident.
Meanwhile, a blast in Helmand province killed eight Afghan security guards.
Afghanistan has seen a rise in violence ahead of presidential and provincial council elections next month.
The deputy governor of Laghman province told the BBC that efforts were being made to take the campaign manager, Ismail, to safety in a vehicle.
He is reportedly being taken to the eastern town of Jalalabad for treatment.
Abdullah Abdullah was not in the vehicle at the time of the attack. He is Afghanistan’s former foreign minister and one of the most prominent presidential candidates in this year’s campaign.
The attack follows an assassination attempt on on a running mate of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday .
Mohammed Qasim Fahim’s convoy was fired at with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns in northern Kunduz province, its governor said.
Taliban ‘jihad’
Separately, eight security guards were killed as two vehicles were hit by a remotely detonated bomb while on their way to the town of Gereshk in the southern province of Helmand.
Four other guards were injured in the incident.
The dead men, all Afghan, were working for a company which frequently provides security for delivery convoys for international forces in the area.
The BBC’s David Lyon in Kabul says the attack shows the ability of the Taliban to continue to disrupt the work of foreign forces even at a time when there are more American and British troops on the ground than at any time before.
There is grave concern about the level of violence across Afghanistan as key elections approach.
On Monday the Afghan government said it had agreed a truce with Taliban insurgents in the north-western province of Badghis.
But Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said no such agreement has been made.
"We will continue our jihad and will not accept the request of the government for negotiations and a ceasefire," he is quoted by the AP news agency as saying.
But the election campaign has continued unabated across the country – and continues to court controversy.
At a meeting in Helmand, shoes were thrown at presidential candidate, and former defence minister, Shanawaz Tanai.
A man in the audience threw shoes after Mr Tanai after the candidate criticised President Karzai for "not cracking down" on corruption and the drug trade in Afghanistan.
US and UK troops have launched a major offensive against Taliban militants in Helmand province.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Govt under fire over power crisis
July 24th, 2009 |
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ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik Friday told the Upper House that the government had provided proof of Afghanistan and IndiaÂ’s involvement in insurgency in Balochistan to the heads of the government of both countries.
Responding to the point of order of Senator Jamal Leghari, Malik said that Afghanistan had been told that there were camps in that country training perverted Balochi youths involved in terrorist activities.
He said that the government for the first time had taken the issue on record with the Indian Government. He said that he himself held a meeting with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul and provided him the proof regarding training camps in Afghanistan where Balochi insurgents were being given training.
He said that President Karzai had agreed to start three bio-metric check posts on Pak-Afghan border which would become operative in August. He said that Karzai had assured to close down those camps, which were being run by the Indian intelligence agencies on Afghan soil.
The Minister said that Balochistan and its people had been badly ignored by the previous regimes and the present government was committed to giving them their rights with a view to removing their grievances. He said that the government had taken on board all political leaders of the province to move forward for resolving issues.
The Interior Minister said that all fourteen points recommended by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to improve law and order situation in the country were being implemented in letter and spirit. Referring to the interview of a Baloch separatist leader in London to a local private channel, Malik said that the PEMRA had taken notice of the broadcast adding that action would be taken in this regard.
The Minister said that talks with politicians, civil society members and other stakeholders were the only solution to the problems of Balochistan but made it clear that parleys were out of question with those who wanted independence. He said that it was appreciable that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had raised the issue of Balochistan with his Indian counterpart in Sharm El Sheikh.
Earlier, Senator Jamal Leghari of PML-Q on a point of order exhibited his fears that situation in Balochistan was worsening like East Pakistan. He said that Pakistan could not afford separation of Balochistan urging the government to take necessary measures before the time was out of hand. Referring to separatists leaderships sitting in London, the Opposition Senator asked the government to approach the UK Government to expatriate them because of their involvement in anti-Pakistan activities.
Terming former President and Prime Minister ‘thieves’ treasury benches here on Friday said that the current energy crisis in the country was due to wrong planning of Pervez Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz.
Speaking on a point of order, PPP senior leader Senator Raza Rabbani said that the ill planning of former President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was the real reason behind the existing power outages in the country and asked them to come home to face the nation.
He proposed that a commission should be constituted to conduct an inquiry into the matter of privatisation of KESC in Shaukat AzizÂ’s government. Raza Rabbani also suggested that the government should take over KESC and appoint its operator as the private company had failed to run the affairs of KESC as per legal agreement. He said that due to negligence and slackness of the KESC administration and its so-called prudent policies masses were facing the brunt.
He also criticized the government for giving a free hand to KESC adding that Karachi had witnessed some worst and horrible blackouts in the history of Pakistan on June 17 and July 21. “Since last many days, more than 2,500 industrial units have been closed,” he stated. He was of the view that Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz were guilty and asked them to face the music in front of the general public and courts of law as they were the ones who were the sheer culprits of the present-day situation.
Senate also witnessed some obnoxious and repulsive scenes as members of the ruling coalition raised slogans against Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz terming them thieves, looters and plunderers of national exchequer. They stood from their respective seats in the House and raised slogans like “Pervez Musharraf thief”, “Dacoit Shaukat Aziz”, “Both are Looters”, etc. They were asking them to come and face the courts.
Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, Senator Wasim Sajjad speaking on a point of order said that it was a wrong decision to shelve the KBD project in view of the current power crisis. Wasim Sajjad asked the government to give a deadline when the people would get rid of load-shedding. He said frequent power outages were not only affecting the peopleÂ’s lives but also casting negative effects on business, agriculture and industries.
Upon this the ANP and PPP Sindh Senators protested and raised a hue and cry. They said that KBD was a controversial project and thus shelved by the government and now there was no point in debating this issue.
Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi urged the government to pay back circular debt of IPPs, adding that power rentals would in no way be in the interest of the country due to its ten times higher prices. He said that unless the KESC was not de-privatized, the national economy would not improve. Senator Tariq Azeem said that the television commercials being funded by PEPCO as an austerity drive was just the wastage of public money. Azeem said that all the claims of the government had ended in fiasco as it had asserted that it would plunge the country out of power dilemma with various projects but to no avail. Senator Shahid Bugti was of the view that through proper usage of existing capacity of power production, the government can control 70 to 80 per cent energy crisis.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf told the Upper House that if load-shedding was not ended by December 31, he was ready to face the music adding undoubtedly due to so-called prudent policies of the previous government the country was facing such consequences. He said that due to heavy credits of the past government, the incumbent government was unable to cope with overwhelming expenditures.
He said that for immediate needs, thermal and rental plants were the only way with which the country could cope with power dilemma adding that the construction of dams and new projects would take some time from now. He said that more than 4 billion dollars investment had been made in the field of energy to tackle the energy crises through thick and thin. He said that the former government was responsible for power crisis in the country saying due to non-payment in the past, the circular debt had ballooned to Rs 400 billion.
The Minister said that the schedule of load-shedding sometimes got disturbed due to certain reasons which included blowing up of power pylons in subversive activities or through natural calamities. The Minister said that within a few days Mangla DamÂ’s tunnel was repaired which was now generating 400 megawatt of electricity.
Senators from both treasury and Opposition benches unanimously demanded of the government to restore their Hajj quota. Speaking on a point of order, Senator Shahid Bugti raised the matter before the House and urged Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to restore SenatorsÂ’ Hajj quota through an executive order, which was endorsed by all other members of the Upper House.
Responding to the point, Leader of the House Syed Nayyar Bokhari told the House that the decision to withdraw SenatorsÂ’ quota was taken in a Cabinet committee meeting. However, Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek asked the Leader of the House to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister and the Minister concerned to get the decision undone. He asked Nayyar Bokhari to report the House on Monday in this regard as it was a unanimous demand of the Senators. The Chairman Senate also informed the House that Senator Dr Javed Leghari had tendered resignation from his Senate seat.
Earlier, the Business Advisory Committee of the Senate decided to take up the post-operation rehabilitation steps in Swat and Malakand Division, situation in Balochistan and law and order across the country during the 55th session of the Senate.
The meeting of the business advisory committee was held here under the chairmanship of Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek. Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali, Leader of the House Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Leader of the Opposition Senator Wasim Sajjad, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Minister for Local Government Abdur Razzaq Thahim, and other parliamentary leaders of the political parties attended the meeting. It was also decided that the current session would continue till August 7 and the session would not be held during the holy month of Ramazan.
The Senate also expressed gratitude to the President for his address to both Houses of Parliament, which assembled together on 28th of March this year. A motion to this effect was moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan that was adopted unanimously by the House.
In the morning, the proceedings of the House were suspended for more than an hour due to mechanical fault in the mike system. Later, the Chairman Senate Farooq H Naik adjourned the senate session till 5:00 Monday evening.
Karzai ‘to review foreign forces’
July 24th, 2009 |
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Afghan president Hamid Karzai has said that he will review agreements with foreign forces operating in Afghanistan if he is re-elected.
He said he would make international forces sign an agreement governing how they operate, in an effort to limit civilian casualties.
President Karzai is seeking re-election in next month’s presidential poll.
The Afghan government has long been concerned about the civilian death toll as foreign troops battle insurgents.
The new commander of US and Nato-led troops in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, has recently echoed this concern.
Last month he said troops must make the shift from conventional warfare strategies to protecting Afghan civilians.
The move came after a US military inquiry found that a US air strike in May in which Afghan civilians died had breached guidelines.
The number of civilian casualties has been a potent issue for many Afghans and for candidates campaigning ahead of next month’s presidential and provincial council elections.
Tensions high
Mr Karzai was speaking at a campaign rally in the capital, Kabul.
He said that foreign forces too often took decisions without consulting the Afghan government.
"It should be clear who is the owner of the house and who is the guest," Mr Karzai was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying at the rally.
Tensions between Kabul and Washington have been high in recent months over the numbers of civilian casualties.
The UN says US, Nato and Afghan forces killed 829 civilians while fighting Taliban insurgents last year.
US and British troops have recently launched a major offensive against insurgent strongholds in southern Afghanistan.
President Karzai’s campaign rally comes one day after he refused to take part in a televised debate between two of the main presidential candidates.
He is facing challenges from 40 other candidates.
Correspondents say the front runners in the vote are President Karzai, former finance minister Ashraf Ghani, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and former deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, Mirwais Yasini.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.