Pakistan’s viewpoint on the war in Afghanistan and Iraq

Here’s an editorial I find compelling, from Dawn, Pakistan’s most widely circulated English language newspaper: [links added by me to explain content, and emphasis mine too]

“In what appears to be a very severe criticism of the performance of our allies on the other side of the Durand Line, NWFP Governor Ali Jan Aurakzai has called upon the American and Nato troops in Afghanistan to match Pakistan’s commitment to the war on terror. The views, expressed in a press talk with foreign journalists on Friday, come in the wake of persistent reports that a Taliban force of 10,000 was readying for a major spring offensive. Mr Aurakzai, the man behind the Sept 5 deal with the tribal elders in North Waziristan, is the second major Pakistan leader to have voiced his criticism of the allies’ performance after President Pervez Musharraf had some unpleasant things to say about the situation in Afghanistan at his press conference of Feb 2. While President Musharraf had dwelt largely on the tactical side of the war on both sides and said that fencing the Durand Line was not Islamabad’s sole responsibility, a substantial part of Mr Aurakzai’s press talk touched on the political aspect of the Afghan situation. He warned that the war in Afghanistan seemed to be acquiring the character of a war of national liberation because of the frustrations of the Pakhtoon people.”

Maybe I’m not checking the right US media outlets, but I’m not hearing this kind of viewpoint or information here. Read the whole editorial. It continues:

“Even though President Hamid Karzai is a Pakhtoon, his administration is dominated by Afghanistan’s non-Pakhtoon elements, especially Tajik and Uzbek. He has also made the corrupt warlords happy by giving them full rein, thus enabling them to turn their provinces into their fiefdoms. In contrast, the situation in the south-east is precarious. There is no economic development there because the Karzai government and the foreign forces there have failed to provide protection to aid workers. Instead, the intensification of fighting, the heavy civilian casualties and the lack of economic opportunities have combined to increase the influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan. The US-Nato troops have failed to stop their trail into this country, and it goes without saying that a large number of them are militants and terrorists who seek refuge in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. While Islamabad has established nearly 1,000 border posts, the other side has less then 100, and that too 30 to 40 miles from the border.”

“The most important of the governor’s press talk related to the need for seeking a political solution. He said it would take years for the Taliban to be defeated, and therefore “the Kabul government and its foreign backers