Afghan leaders shouldn’t talk tongue in cheek

Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah says a large number of terrorists, fleeing from Pakistan to Afghanistan after the military operation against them are now indulging in subversive activities in cahoots with the Afghan Taliban. This is a very diplomatic type of statement from a person who is known to have a soft corner for India in his heart. One doesn’t know what type of message he wants to give through this statement. His government has failed miserably to show the same type of resolve against the terrorists operating on both sides of the Durand Line which Pakistan has been exhibiting. As far as Pakistan is concernced it has taken a very strong and concerted action against the hide-outs of the terrorists in the FATA which has yielded rich dividends to Pakistan in its war on terror. Let us admit that the geographical terrain of FATA and adjoining Afghan country on both sides of the Durand Line is very treacherous and unique in essence about which a British brigadier wrote in early 20 th century that any person who wants to intervene in it should first of all find out escape route as sooner or later he would have to retreat one day and his retreat would be under fire. It goes to the credit of our valiant soldiers that not only has the Pak army successfully stamped out the terrorists from FATA, it has opened up those areas also which were off-limits for the government. The Pak Army has established its stronghold in those areas which the Soviets, the Brits and the Yankees wanted to bring under their domination but failed. The newly- raised Afghanistan national army has not yet come up to the standard of the Allied forces which have been giving them rigorous training to fight off the Taliban. This is confirmed by the recent statement of the American military commander in Afghanistan that if the US slashed the present strength of its 10 000 army men in Afghanistan by one half, all the good work done by the allied forces hitherto is likely to go down the drain as the Afghan national army still needs a lot of training.
It is a fact that many soldiers of the newly-raised Afghanistan national army have been deserting to the Taliban along with their weaponry and the Afghan government as well as the commanders of the allied forces stationed in Kabul have not been able to stem this tide of desertion.