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Dawn is Pakistan's one of most influential and widely read english newspapers. Read what they say about Kabul Conference and you will know Pakistan's desire and future intentions.
"In terms of rhetoric at least, Tuesday’s international conference in Kabul was officially presented as a tour de force. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it a “turning point” in the Afghan war while the meeting was also hailed by luminaries from across the globe.
True, the conference was unprecedented in the sense that high-ranking representatives of some 80-odd countries and organisations gathered in the Afghan capital to try and hammer out a solution to an insurgency which, it now appears, is becoming unmanageable. But beyond morale-boosting words, what did the conference really produce? It was said that the Afghan security apparatus could assume full control by 2014, paving the way for the withdrawal of foreign forces. Few in the region would argue that foreign troops should remain in Afghanistan indefinitely. The affairs of the country should ideally be of concern only to its own elected leaders and the security personnel over whom they wield command. It is perhaps also inevitable that Kabul will, as it has been suggesting of late, enter into negotiations with Taliban leaders who are willing to embrace a democratic set-up. That said, the idea of a pull-out deadline is deeply flawed.
For one thing, anyone with even a fleeting knowledge of the capacity of the Afghan police and military knows that it will take far more than four years for them to secure a country that even highly trained and heavily armed personnel from a multitude of western nations cannot bring under control.
The security apparatus in Afghanistan is largely still in the training process. Making matters worse, drug abuse among its members is rampant while corruption, desertion and tribal divisions further weaken its potential as a fighting force that can take on insurgents as ferociously dedicated to their cause as the Taliban.
In short, Afghanistan’s police and military do not inspire confidence.
That takes us to the next point: is setting a deadline, however tentative, for the withdrawal of Isaf troops a show of strength or a sign of weakness? Does the gesture convey growing confidence in the Afghan government or is it an acknowledgment that foreign forces are becoming war-weary and perhaps even panicking? More than 380 foreign troops have been killed in just the first seven months of 2010 and administrations in the US and Britain are under increasing domestic pressure to bring the troops home. It remains to be seen if the Taliban will see the withdrawal deadline as a personal triumph. But one thing is clear: there must be no pull-out in a vacuum where anything can happen."
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/...ence-270-hh-03
"In terms of rhetoric at least, Tuesday’s international conference in Kabul was officially presented as a tour de force. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it a “turning point” in the Afghan war while the meeting was also hailed by luminaries from across the globe.
True, the conference was unprecedented in the sense that high-ranking representatives of some 80-odd countries and organisations gathered in the Afghan capital to try and hammer out a solution to an insurgency which, it now appears, is becoming unmanageable. But beyond morale-boosting words, what did the conference really produce? It was said that the Afghan security apparatus could assume full control by 2014, paving the way for the withdrawal of foreign forces. Few in the region would argue that foreign troops should remain in Afghanistan indefinitely. The affairs of the country should ideally be of concern only to its own elected leaders and the security personnel over whom they wield command. It is perhaps also inevitable that Kabul will, as it has been suggesting of late, enter into negotiations with Taliban leaders who are willing to embrace a democratic set-up. That said, the idea of a pull-out deadline is deeply flawed.
For one thing, anyone with even a fleeting knowledge of the capacity of the Afghan police and military knows that it will take far more than four years for them to secure a country that even highly trained and heavily armed personnel from a multitude of western nations cannot bring under control.
The security apparatus in Afghanistan is largely still in the training process. Making matters worse, drug abuse among its members is rampant while corruption, desertion and tribal divisions further weaken its potential as a fighting force that can take on insurgents as ferociously dedicated to their cause as the Taliban.
In short, Afghanistan’s police and military do not inspire confidence.
That takes us to the next point: is setting a deadline, however tentative, for the withdrawal of Isaf troops a show of strength or a sign of weakness? Does the gesture convey growing confidence in the Afghan government or is it an acknowledgment that foreign forces are becoming war-weary and perhaps even panicking? More than 380 foreign troops have been killed in just the first seven months of 2010 and administrations in the US and Britain are under increasing domestic pressure to bring the troops home. It remains to be seen if the Taliban will see the withdrawal deadline as a personal triumph. But one thing is clear: there must be no pull-out in a vacuum where anything can happen."
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/...ence-270-hh-03
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