Opinion poll puts Dr. Abdullah in the lead- Dr. Abdullah Abdullah the Nelson Mandala of Afghanistan 2
DR. ABDULLAH ABULLAH CALLED THE HONEST MAN OF AFGHANISTAN....The Nelson Mandela of Afghanistan- youth, elders and everyday Afghans adore this good man... so do we... by rights Dr. Abdullah Abdullah should have won in 2009- but UN interfered.... NOT THIS TIME...
Abdullah Leads New Poll
TOLOnews.com By Geeti Mohseni 23 December 2013
A recent election poll conducted by the Democracy International Organization of more than 2,500 Afghan citizens across all 34 provinces and in at least 115 districts revealed Dr. Abdullah Abdullah is the most popular Presidential candidate at the moment.
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Opinion poll puts Dr. Abdullah in the lead
By Pajhwok reporter Dec 23, 2013 - 17:15
KABUL (PAN): A new public opinion poll regarding the April 2014 presidential elections on Monday found Dr. Abdullah, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, Abdul Qayum Karzai and Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf as leading contenders.
Conducted by Soft Power Solution (SPS) in collaboration with Democracy International (DI) in 115 districts of 34 provinces, the survey polled 2,500 people of different ages and categories, including 51 percent women.
Fifty-two percent of respondents supported Dr. Abdullah, 48 percent Ashraf Ghani, 40 percent Abdul Qayyum Karzai and 27 percent Sayyaf, 25 percent Gul Agha Sherzai, 25 percent to Zalmai Rassoul, 17 percent Rahim Wardak, 16 percent Daud Sultanzoy, 15 percent Qutbuddin Hilal, 15 percent Nadir Naeem and 11 percent Amin Arsala.
On the popularity front, 92 percent voted for Dr. Abdullah, 86 percent for Ahmadzai, 81 percent for Karzai, 78 percent for Sayyaf, 65 percent for Sherzai, 62 percent for Wardak, 53 percent for Zalmai Rassoul, 39 percent for Sultanzoy, 36 percent for Naeem, 35 percent for Hilal and 35 percent for Arsala.
Thirty-two percent of interviewees believed Dr. Abdullah would work for people’s economic prosperity, 28 percent chose Ahmadzai, 13 percent favoured Karzai and 10.3 percent said Sayyaf.
Similarly, 29 percent of respondents said Dr. Abdullah would win the elections, 27 percent voted for Ghani, 15 percent for Karzai, 11 percent for Sayyaf, 5.9 percent for Rassoul and 5.1 percent for Sherzai.
Key demands of those polled included improvement of the economy, establishment of industrial units, and creation of job opportunities, boosting security and building infrastructure. Combating corruption, peace with the Taliban, reconstruction and paving roads were other main demands.
According to the SPS poll, 85 percent of respondents said they would participate in the presidential and provincial council elections; only 8 percent said they won’t. Most people wanted strict security, transparency and a greater turnout.
Lawlessness, ignorance and barring women from voting by their families are among the factors that may harm the election process.
However, 48 people feared chances of rigging, threats from Taliban and foreign interference would make the election less transparent and acceptable to the masses. Nineteen percent cited a weak economy and poverty as challenges to elections.
According to the poll, 33 percent believe Afghanistan is heading toward prosperity, while 34 percent have an opposite view about the future of the country. Additionally, 21 percent think Afghanistan is heading towards devastation.
Most respondents viewed the Afghan National Army (ANA), police and the Presidential Palace as popular state institutions. More than 2,000 individuals were polled.
ra/nh/mud
http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2013/12/23/survey-puts-dr-abdullah-lead
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Afghanistan building a railroad... cool
Afghanistan wins UIC membership
Posted by wadsam | December 29, 2013
Ministry of Public Works declared membership of Afghanistan to the International Union of Railways (UIC).
“Afghanistan was in dire need of railways. Our country’s geographic and strategic importance has enabled it to win this prestigious membership,” said Public Works Minister Eng. Najibullah Ozhan.
Afghanistan acquires this membership while completing the construction of regional railway line pieces through the two main trade and transit ports to the railway ring network by 2040.
At present, the construction of 75 km Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif railway line has been completed and the construction of 124 km railway line from Herat to Islam Qala is under construction. These two pieces of railway are parts of a 3429 km railway line which will be completed by 2025.
Looking at Afghanistan’s geographic location, membership in this Union is not only beneficial to the country but also significant in terms of regional economic interaction among countries in the region. Afghanistan’s regional economic integration and credibility relates to the full integration and coordination with regional and international standards.
http://www.wadsam.com/afghanistan-wins-uic-membership-232/
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Presidential frontrunners emerge in survey
Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister and the head of the National Coalition of Afghanistan, and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, a former finance minister, are the top two presidential candidates, according to a recent poll conducted by ATR and TOLO News (TOLO News). The poll, which took place in all 34 Afghan provinces, shows Abdullah in the lead with 27 percent, followed by Ahmadzai, who has 19 percent. Abdul Qayum Karzai, current Afghan President Hamid Karzai's older brother, came in a distant third with 4 percent. With 104 days to go until nationwide elections are held in April 2014, the poll noted that people's interest in the candidates has increased, though 7 percent reported they didn't like any of the contenders.
NATO begins SOFA negotiations
NATO began its own talks on coalition troop levels in Afghanistan after 2014 with Kabul on Saturday, but emphasized that any accord it makes is contingent on the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Afghanistan and the United States (AFP, Bloomberg, NATO). The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) will lay out the legal framework by which international troops can remain in Afghanistan "to train, advise, and assist" Afghan forces once the alliance's combat mission ends next December. But NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the SOFA will not be signed until the stalled BSA is finalized by Karzai.
Rasmussen joined the growing number of people calling on Karzai to sign the BSA, including German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Lt. Gen. Murad Ali Murad, a top Afghan commander. Leyen, Germany's first female defense chief, spoke on Sunday during a surprise two-day trip to visit German troops in the town of Mazir-i-Sharif in Balkh province, saying that "an enormous amount has been achieved here and we want to protect that" (TOLO News). Speaking to the BBC, Murad, the head of Afghanistan's ground forces, said of the row over the BSA: "We don't share the view that Afghanistan will slip back into civil war but we need more support and resources so we can deal with the threat posed by the insurgents especially during elections. We need air support and transport" (BBC). Washington has insisted that the BSA is signed by Dec. 31, while Kabul says it is something for the next Afghan president to finalize.
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THE SOUTH ASIA CHANNEL
Afghans Look on the Bright Side
BY KARL F. INDERFURTH, THEODORE L. ELIOT JR. DECEMBER 17, 2013
2014 will be a momentous year for the Afghan people. As the Economist has observed: "Tectonic plates are shifting in Afghanistan as the country nervously prepares itself for three big transitions, all related."
The security transition in Afghanistan is already underway. By the end of 2014, all U.S. and NATO combat forces will be gone and Afghan troops will have full responsibility for the country's safety. Afghanistan's political transition will kick off with April's presidential and provincial council elections. With President Hamid Karzai constitutionally barred from running for a third term, the country is poised to have the first peaceful transfer of political power in its history. And then there is the economic transition, which will come as the country begins to wean itself off the massive infusion of foreign aid of the past dozen years in favor of a more self-reliant economy.
So how do Afghans feel about these transitions? A recent survey directed by the Asia Foundation provides answers, some with current policy implications.
In July, the foundation surveyed some 9,300 Afghan men (62 percent) and women (38 percent) across all 34 Afghan provinces; 14 percent were from urban areas, 86 percent rural. The margin of error is 2.25 percent. This was the ninth poll conducted by the foundation in Afghanistan since 2004, providing a valuable perspective on the national mood of Afghans over time.
Regarding the security transition, fear for personal safety among Afghans was up from 48 percent last year to 59 percent this year, an all-time high. This rise was certainly influenced by the increase in civilian casualties in the first half of this year and the expanded use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by insurgents.
Around three quarters of the Afghans surveyed also said they would be afraid when encountering international forces (77 percent), as well as when traveling from one part of the country to another (75 percent). The former may explain, in part, Karzai's strong insistence that the U.S. military stop all raids on Afghan homes if he is to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) that is presently under consideration.
At the same time, the survey reveals that confidence in the Afghan security forces continues to grow among the population. The percentage of those who regard the Afghan National Army as helping to improve security rose from 87 percent in 2012 to 91 percent in 2013. Still, when asked if Afghan security forces will continue to need foreign support, 76 percent said they would, a point made by many tribal leaders at the recent Loya Jirga (grand council) convened by Karzai to consider whether to sign the BSA with the U.S.
Turning to the country's political transition, perhaps the single most encouraging finding of the survey is that 56 percent of those polled said the outcome of the 2014 election will make a positive difference in their lives. Only a very small number, 15 percent, anticipated that it will make their lives worse.
Moreover, when asked about elections in Afghanistan, a majority (61 percent) responded that in general they are free and fair, despite the fact that the last presidential election in 2009 was marred by widespread fraud. Key electoral reforms enacted since then may have brought about a guarded optimism that next year's elections will be better.
Still, more than half (59 percent) of Afghans said they would have some fear when voting in a national or provincial election, though there are significant regional and ethnic variations in this regard. Pashtuns in the Taliban strongholds in the southeast and southwest provinces have the most fear, over 70 percent.
All of this makes turnout in the April elections a question mark. Most Afghans (81 percent) said that election-day security conditions will be a factor in their decisions to travel to polling stations to vote. And Afghan women continue to face yet another challenge - their independence in voting. While 53 percent of those polled argued that women should decide for themselves, almost as many (46 percent) countered that men should decide for women or at least be consulted.
With regard to the economic transition, one survey question stands out as a point of reference: "Which of these periods was the best economically for you and your family - under Taliban rule or after?" Most Afghans (76 percent) said that economic conditions have improved post-Taliban, with women significantly more likely than men to report this improvement, as are urban residents (92 percent).
That said, ranking just behind insecurity as the greatest challenge facing Afghanistan today is one concern that will have a major impact on the country's economic transition -unemployment. The proportion of Afghans citing a lack of jobs is at its highest point since 2006. Only 51 percent of those polled said they were employed. On average, only 5 percent of women are employed. All of this adds up to a very worrisome trend since local job creation is likely to be the greatest challenge during the transition period.
Finally, given the many challenges facing Afghanistan today, one further finding from the survey is important to cite - a majority of Afghans (57 percent) believed that their country is moving in the right direction, citing reconstruction, an improved education system, and the opening of schools for girls among their reasons for reaching this conclusion.
While counterintuitive to some, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry says this makes sense: "When respondents assess their lot they are making judgments informed by their past. Their modern history has been filled with much darkness. So, today, the people rightly report progress."
And express their hope for more to come.
Karl F. Inderfurth, assistant U.S. secretary of state for South Asian affairs from 1997 to 2001, is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Theodore L. Eliot, Jr., U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 1973 to 1978, is dean emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Both are trustees of the Asia Foundation.
http://southasia.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/17/afghans_look_on_the_bright_side#sthash.r7Az6AZd.dpbs
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We must be very mindful and remember all and any politician who wants 2 parlay with Heretic Muslims who stone, beat, abuse and kill women and children so easily...... United Nations refuses 2 ensure women are equal.... nor does the USA accept that women equal men...... remember- in the free world women are 64% of the world's population... our votes count.... imho
‘Taliban must respect women’s rights’ - Sarah Ahmadi
Former Afghan TV personality Sarah Ahmadi, who was forced to flee her country, shares her story and her fears for Afghanistan’s future
By Denise Marray, Special to Weekend Review
Published: 16:18 December 26, 2013
We often hear politicians, academics and “experts” talking about women’s rights in Afghanistan. But the most authentic voices are of the Afghan women themselves. A woman with a truly compelling and moving story is Sarah Ahmadi, a former TV presenter and producer in Afghanistan who had to flee her country when the Taliban made it too dangerous to for her to stay there. She now lives in the northeast of England, where with great courage and perseverance she has rebuilt her life to the point where she now helps others who flee to the United Kingdom to escape the desperate circumstances in their home countries.
Ahmadi, who started in radio at age 8 as a presenter on a children’s programme in her home city of Kabul, went on after university to become a well known face on national Afghan TV. For sixteen years all went well with her life and career until the early 1990s, when the Mujahideen took over Kabul. They moved immediately to destroy the TV station and Ahmadi, like her terrified colleagues, stayed at home fearing her safety. Then a Mujahideen missile hit her apartment block; she and her husband raced to help their upstairs neighbour, a doctor.
“My hands and my husband’s hands were covered with his blood,” she recalled. They rushed him to hospital but he died leaving a widow and two young children. “I will never forget that — he died in front of my eyes,” she said.
Ahmadi and her husband, sitting shell-shocked with their small children in their partially destroyed home, realised that it was no longer safe to remain in Kabul. They couldn’t even find food in the city. “My husband used to go out and stand in a queue for two hours just to buy bread — there was nothing else to buy,” she recalled. “We didn’t eat for days — we just gave the bread to our children,” she added.
They decided to try and leave Afghanistan. They hired a bus and headed north with four other families; the intention was to go to Tajikistan and make their way to Russia and then onwards to Europe. But when they got to Baghlan Province in the north-east, they were recognised by the authorities in the north — as Ahmadi was a well-know TV personality. They were persuaded to stay by Said Mansoor Nadiri, a prominent leader in the province, who offered them a place to live and provided for their needs. Ahmadi had the opportunity to continue her work as a TV producer and presenter. She presented a programme on local TV channel, Pulikhomri TV, called “Woman”, which proved very popular.
“Baghlan was a small province and people welcomed me as a well known national TV presenter. It was a very positive experience,” she remembered.
Then, six years later, fate caught up with her family again: the Taliban captured the capital of Baghlan. They set about imposing their ruthless control over society. “They burnt down the TV station and we stayed at home for four days. We were scared — day by day and street by street came the Taliban,” she recalled. “All men were ordered to grow beards; women were not allowed to go to school; TV was banned,” she said. Once again the family was in jeopardy and had to find a way out.
Ahmadi was especially vulnerable as she was a strong advocate for education of women. “If I had stayed there they would have killed me,” she said.
In desperation, her husband turned to people smugglers. The family had savings of about $18,000 (Dh66,060), which they kept at home because there were no banks. But they didn’t have enough money to get all family members out of the country. So they decided that Ahmadi would try to get out, to be followed by her husband and three children.
“I covered myself in a burqa and with nothing but the clothes on my back, said goodbye to my family and stepped into a car driven by two male smugglers. I had been told beforehand not to ask them any questions. They warned me that if I asked questions, they would kill me,” she said.
After a long and exhausting journey, she ended up stepping out of a lorry outside the Home Office in London. When she got out, she was told that she was on her own and must find her own way. She was pointed towards the door and she went into the Home Office building and stood with hundreds of other people seeking help. She knew no English and signalled her plight through sign language.
Ahmadi was then interviewed through an interpreter and put up in a hotel in Croydon, South London. “When I arrived for a few days I couldn’t eat and I cried and cried and cried. I missed my children — my youngest child was just two years old,” she recalled.
She stayed at the hotel until she was told that she and 25 other women were to be sent to Sunderland in the North-East of the country. She had hoped to stay in London where she thought there would be more work opportunities but was told that this was not possible. So on February 28, 2002, she found herself on a bus making her way to Sunderland where six weeks later she received a visa and began to rebuild her life.
She said that she was lucky as some people wait years to have their cases resolved and some of the women who travelled with her to Sunderland were deported.
Ahmadi’s courage is truly inspirational. She went to a nearby church where she met an Iranian man who advised her about the steps she should take to apply for housing and government allowances. She enrolled in college and focused on learning English and also attended courses to gain computer skills.
She took a job washing dishes in a pizza shop so that she could be self-sufficient. As her English improved she attended university, and through her efforts found a new job using her newly acquired skills. Incredibly, she also found the energy to set up in 2004 an organisation, the Afghan British Association, to help other immigrants.
Her husband had fled with the children to Peshawar, Pakistan. “I sent money to support them, but for six months I had no communication with them because it was impossible,” she said.
Then in 2007 she founded United Community Action, a not-for-profit organisation supported by Sunderland Council, which works on behalf of asylum seekers. The family was finally reunited in the UK in 2011. Her children are doing well in their studies in the UK and her husband has found employment.
From her direct experience, Ahmadi has a clear message. No government should negotiate with the Taliban until they have secured from the Taliban leadership unequivocal agreements to respect the rights of women with regard to their access to education and work and other civil and personal freedoms.
“Their policy is no work, no study, no classes, all the people just going to study in the mosques to read the Quran, all men with beards, all women covered with burqas and not allowed to go out without their husbands or brothers,” she said. “If governments want to negotiate with the Taliban they should ask the Taliban to change their policies and then we will see,” she said.
Ahmadi also sees it as imperative that a contingent of NATO forces should remain in Afghanistan after the drawdown of troops next year to provide a measure of security to people who fear that hard won rights could easily be trampled underfoot under the new regime.
She said that for women the situation has improved in Afghanistan in recent years but these gains could very easily be reversed.
– Denise Marray is an independent writer based in London
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Young Afghan artists to compete for Afghan Contemporary Art Prize
Written by wadsam |
Young Afghan artists are prepping themselves for the Afghan Contemporary Art Prize competition that is held every year to encourage local artists to bring in creativity in their work and go beyond the traditional marketplaces and landscapes’...
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Regional singers perform in Kabul to convey messages of peace and brotherhood
Written by wadsam |
Amid cheerful applause and motivational clapping, the musicians and singers from Afghanistan and some regional countries mesmerized a considerably big audience of mostly young Afghans in Kabul during a two-day “Afghanistan’s Peace Musical...
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Indian film ‘Khuda Gawah’ shot in Afghanistan to get a sequel
Written by wadsam
By Ahmadshah Ghanizada- Work on sequel of the Indian movie ‘Khuda Gawah’, which was shot in India and Afghanistan, is expected to start in the near future. The original film was released in 1992 which was based on the story of an...
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Afghan commander submits silver coins from Aynak Copper Mine to the government
Written by wadsam |
Afghan Commander, Lt. Mohammad Naseen Masoudi, handed over 171 coins that were discovered from Aynak Copper Mine to Ministry of Information and Culture. Deputy Minister Sayed Musadiq Khalili appreciated the Commander for his cooperation in...
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“Afghanistan through the Eyes of Afghan Photographers” Exhibition held in Switzerland
Written by wadsam |
An exhibition of photos by Afghan photographers, called “Afghanistan through the Eyes of Afghan Photographers” is being held in Bellinzona city of Switzerland from October 4th to November 24th. Hanifa Alizada, a representative of the Afghan...
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Canadian troops mark last holiday in Afghanistan
Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan is in its final months and soldiers are packing up after helping train Afghans to handle their own security.
COLIN PERKEL / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Capt. Cynthia Larue serves Christmas dinner at the Canadian military-civilian outreach base in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2009. The Canadian military has been stationed there for a decade.
By: Bruce Campion-Smith Ottawa Bureau, Published on Wed Dec 25 2013
OTTAWA—Canadian troops are packing up in Afghanistan, confident the Afghan security forces they’ve helped train will be able to defend the country against persistent insurgent attacks.
This Christmas is a bittersweet milestone as Canadian soldiers mark their last holiday in the war-torn land after more than a decade of fighting insurgents and, more recently, training Afghan army and police units to take on that role themselves.
“I’ve seen them fight through this last fighting season with very little support and do extremely well,” Maj.-Gen. Dean Milner told the Star in a telephone interview from Kabul.
“They’ve come a long way. Their confidence, their capabilities, their leadership. We’ve helped them build a pretty strong force,” he said.
In addition to commanding the Canadian contingent, Milner is commander of the NATO training mission, responsible for all institutional training of Afghan national security forces, both army and police.
Since 2011, Canada’s military contribution to Afghanistan — named Op Attention — has focused on training the Afghans, a role Canadians excel at, Milner said.
“Canadians are natural working with people and the Afghans really get along with Canadians. They like us. We have a knack for working with them,” he said.
The Afghan army now has close to 190,000 troops and the police have 152,000 members in its ranks. Milner, who spent time as a commander in Kandahar, has watched as their capabilities have evolved and improved.
He said there was concern several years ago in particular about the “professionalism” of the police force. “They weren’t trained . . . we knew we had to get them trained. We knew we had to help them out with things like literacy.”
And, Milner said, efforts have focused on integrating police with the army units so they could “fight together as a team.”
He saw evidence those efforts are paying off over the summer months, after the Afghans assumed responsibility for leading security operations in June.
“About midway through the fighting season, they got all the generals together, police chiefs. They looked at their lessons learned from the first half of the fighting season and then what they needed,” Milner said.
He concedes there is work to be done. For example, he said efforts are needed to boost leadership in the Afghan forces. They haven’t yet had the time to nurture experienced leaders. Work is also needed on the system to procure equipment as well as logistics, which Milner said is critical to sustain a large army.
As the Christmas decorations were going up in the Kabul outpost named Camp Eggers where the Canadians have their headquarters, much else is being packed as soldiers count down the days.
Much of the equipment has been returned to Canada and just 260 soldiers remain in Afghanistan. Many will fly home in January, leaving about 100 who will remain until the mission ends in mid-March.
At that point, the departure of the Canadians will end a military commitment that began in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Canadian forces initially deployed to Kandahar, moved to Kabul and then returned to Kandahar for a prolonged combat mission in southern Afghanistan.
The commitment has been a costly one. According to the defence department, 138 soldiers were killed in action, another 20 died from other causes; 635 were wounded and a further 1,436 soldiers suffered non-battle injuries. These include soldiers injured in traffic accidents, other accidental injuries and those returned home for medical reasons.
Milner he said Canadians can take pride in what the military has done in Afghanistan.
“We’ve really helped the Afghans, really given them a lot better capability. We fought hard in Kandahar, held the fort down there, helped governance,” Milner said.
“We’ve learned a lot as an army, how to train for a complex, tough environment,” he said. “I think we’ve really grown and learned a lot. An army needs to that. It prepares us better for any other options.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/12/25/canadian_troops_mark_last_holiday_in_afghanistan.html
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Karzai sees deep relation with Russia
By 25/12/2013 10:04:00
KABUL (WNA-Dec.24, 2013): President Hamid Karzai and chairman of the Russian parliament, Sergei Nurushikin during a meeting at the presidential Full story
KABUL (WNA-Dec.24, 2013): President Hamid Karzai and chairman of the Russian parliament, Sergei Nurushikin during a meeting at the presidential palace on Wednesday talked on bilateral relations.
Leonid Slatski head of the independent committee of the commonwealth nations and solidarity with the Asia, and Europe of parliament of Russia was also part of the accompanying delegation member, according to the presidential press office.
At the meeting both sides discussed efforts towards struggle against common threats and further deepening of relations between Afghanistan and Russian Federation.
Nuroushkin explained to President Karzai about their meetings with the Chairmen of the National Assembly and conveyed good sentiments of Vladimir Putin President of Russian Federation to President Karzai and the people of Afghanistan, the statement said.
President Karzai said at this meeting that Russia is a neighbor and friend of Afghanistan and both countries have ancient and deep ties.
He stressed that we are for strong Russian role in the region and consider it very important for stability of Afghanistan and the region.
He added that Afghanistan is for expansion and consolidation of relations with Russia in a strategic manner in different spheres especially in economic and cultural areas.
Nourushkin said that Russia intends to upgrade her relations with Afghanistan to the level of strategic ties and further deepen it. He added “we consider Afghanistan our good neighbor and Russia is prepared for all types of cooperation in different spheres with this country.”
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Mongolia to soon reopen embassy in Kabul
By 18/12/2013 17:05:00
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the Mongolian Ambassador
KABUL (WNA-Dec.18, 2013): Mongolia is expected to soon reopen its embassy in Kabul, where, it had been shut over the last decades of unrests in the country, the presidential office said Sunday.
Convoying his country present’s good wishes to the Afghan President, he said his country was in favor of expansion of good relations with Afghanistan.
Presenting its credential to the Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the Mongolian Ambassador said his country would soon reopen its embassy and restart work in Kabul.
President Karzai also wished success for the new non-resident Mongolian ambassador and said Kabul was prepared for full cooperation with the friendly country to reopen its embassy.
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China’s Afghan policy
Posted by wadsam | December 25, 2013 |
As part of its more assertive Asian diplomacy, China is playing an increasingly active role in Afghanistan. In the past two years it has also raised the profile of its diplomatic and economic engagement. This marks a departure from its previous low-key posture.
The shift has received little public attention in Pakistan. As have the various trilaterals that China is now conducting on Afghanistan to deepen regional understanding and cooperation – with Pakistan and Afghanistan on the one hand, and Pakistan and Russia on the other.
The third round of the China-Pakistan-Afghanistan trilateral dialogue was held in Kabul earlier this December. The second round of the dialogue between Pakistan, China and Russia was hosted by Islamabad in November. These have emerged as important new forums to share assessments and seek to align diplomatic strategies.
China has a fundamental interest in Afghanistan’s peace and stability. As Chinese officials often point out, it is the only major power with an “immediate border” with Afghanistan. China’s Afghan policy has been influenced in recent years by the security imperative of protecting its border regions, particularly Xinjiang province, and to contain the separatist activities of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which has links with militant groups fighting in Afghanistan. China’s stake in a stable Afghanistan is also driven by the concern to protect its economic investments there.
In recent years Beijing has upgraded bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan and, with that, enhanced its diplomatic profile. The increasing engagement has been driven, in part, by the approaching deadline of the US-Nato military drawdown from that country. As a senior Chinese official explained to me, once Western engagement reduces in Afghanistan “it will be up to the neighbours to coordinate efforts in support of its peace and stability”. China will act in concert with others and not seek any lead role.
Beijing’s interest in playing a greater regional role especially to build consensus on post-2014 Afghanistan is also indicated by the fact that China will host the ministerial meeting of the Istanbul process next year in Tianjin city.
Pakistan and China have a number of shared goals and interests in Afghanistan. Both want to see the critical transitions in 2014 completed peacefully and smoothly. They also regard political accommodation among different Afghanistan forces as indispensable to the country’s stability; both emphasise this should be secured through an Afghan-led process.
The two countries have convergent interests in seeking an outcome that ensures that Afghan territory is not used to destabilise another country. And both agree that sustained international support for Afghanistan is necessary to build peace and promote regional stability.
China’s framework for engagement with Afghanistan has four elements or dimensions: promoting peace and security; assisting in economic development; supporting “political reconciliation”; and strengthening international cooperation. Beijing’s engagement in these areas has been encouraged and welcomed by Kabul. This, Chinese officials point out, is acknowledgement that China has no historical baggage with Afghanistan – having never interfered in its internal affairs or been a colonial power. This has established the basis for positive, broad-based relations.
On each of the four elements of China’s Afghan policy, Beijing’s thinking and actions can be summarised as follows – which is mostly based on characterisations by Chinese officials themselves.
Peace and security: Chinese diplomats see the year ahead as critical yet fraught with uncertainty. The smooth conduct of presidential elections in April 2014 is deemed crucial for Afghanistan’s ability to peacefully complete the security handover from Nato to Afghan forces. China supports Afghanistan’s capacity building so it can assume full security responsibility.
Beijing has a carefully crafted position on the bilateral security agreement (BSA) proposed between Washington and Kabul. Once signed, this will allow for a post-2014 Nato military presence in Afghanistan. Chinese diplomats see this as a sovereign decision for Kabul to make, but insist that the concerns of neighbouring countries should be addressed, and the agreement should not compromise any neighbour’s security. This is similar to Pakistan’s position.
Beijing’s nuanced position reflects an attempt to balance two different concerns. The first relates to the risk of a security vacuum if the military transition is not handled “responsibly”; the second is over an open-ended or long-term Western military presence in the region, on which China has strong reservations. Chinese officials reject reports that Beijing urged President Hamid Karzai to sign the BSA. This, they stress, is not for China to do, as it adheres firmly to principles of non-interference.
China’s security expectations of Afghanistan are articulated in the joint statement issued during Karzai’s September 2013 state visit to Beijing. This committed both sides “not to allow their respective territory to be used for any activities targeted against the other side”. The communiqué expressed “strong rejection of all forms of terrorism, extremism, separatism.” The Afghan side also “reiterated its continued and firm support for China in combating ETIM”.
Political reconciliation: China has long held that there is no military solution in Afghanistan. It supports “political reconciliation” and talks between all major Afghan political forces and the Taliban to achieve an inclusive settlement for sustainable peace. If credible presidential elections are an important element, the other is reconciliation to secure a “fully successful” political transition.
Despite Beijing’s longstanding misgivings about the Taliban and ETIM’s ideological and other links, it is keen for the Taliban to join talks in an “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process”. Chinese officials see a key role for Pakistan in this and express appreciation for the steps Islamabad has taken. They also want Pakistan’s positive influence to be used for Afghanistan’s stabilisation.
Chinese officials believe time is limited to achieve an outcome from peace negotiations given Nato’s December 2014 deadline. But diplomatic efforts should still be intensified, ahead of the April elections, even though there may be dwindling prospects for serious talks before then.
China would like the US to overcome its frustration with the stalled Doha process and encourage Afghan efforts towards national reconciliation. For its part, Beijing is “working with many Afghan political forces” to “steer them” towards accommodation. Much, however, depends on the Taliban’s attitude, and whether they will continue to fight or opt to talk to Kabul after April 2014. Ultimately, say Chinese diplomats, the Afghans have to decide their own destiny.
Economic development: Chinese spokesmen point out that since 2002 China has participated actively in Afghanistan’s economic development and reconstruction. Apart from financial assistance Beijing’s support is manifested in at least twelve development projects, infrastructure ventures as well as the sizeable number of Chinese workers in Afghanistan (whose safety is a high priority for Beijing).
The largest element of China’s economic engagement is its investments in the Aynak copper mine and Amu Darya Basin oil projects. The former represents the biggest foreign investment in any Afghan project, but is at present ‘on hold’ for security reasons.
International cooperation: Since 2002, China has fully supported international efforts aimed at stabilising Afghanistan. China now wants to see a greater role for Afghanistan’s neighbours to strengthen this process. That is why, according to Chinese officials, their country is willing to play a more active role to foster regional cooperation.
By offering to host the ministerial meeting of the Istanbul process next year, China is signalling strong support for the Heart of Asia process, which it regards as a key vehicle for regional cooperation. Beijing also desires closer coordination between Pakistan, Russia, Iran, Turkey and India. In the regional context China seeks to enhance the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, but it has yet to specify how this is to be done.
China is opposed to the ‘New Silk Road’ initiative, because it wants the well-established historical trade route to be revived rather than an alternative being promoted as part of any new great game. By proposing an “economic belt along the ancient Silk Road” during his September 2013 visit to Central Asian countries, President Xi Jinping signalled China’s seriousness in implementing this vision of regional cooperation.
Source: The International News
The writer, Lodhi Maleeha, is special adviser to the Jang Group/Geo and a former envoy to the US and the UK.
http://www.wadsam.com/chinas-afghan-policy-232/
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THE SOUTH ASIA CHANNEL
Pakistani Taliban Tears Itself Apart
BY DAUD KHATTAK DECEMBER 17, 2013
Two high-profile killings within a 10-day span in Pakistan in November, followed by a U.S. drone strike at a Haqqani-run seminary (interestingly another 10 days later), have exposed the cracks and suspicions running between militant networks with strongholds in the Pakistani tribal areas.
On Nov. 1, Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the country's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Mehsud's death was shortly followed by the assassination of Nasiruddin Haqqani, a Haqqani network leader who was on the U.S. list of global terrorists, by unknown gunmen. The shooting occurred in close proximity to the highly guarded Pakistani capital on Nov. 11, and while the Pakistani authorities expressed anger over the strike that killed Mehsud, they remained mysteriously tight-lipped over Haqqani's death, despite the fact that he was considered to be the group's chief financier. Then, on Nov. 21, another drone strike at a seminary in Hangu, a settled district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killed five Haqqani network members, including Maulvi Ahmad Jan, a close aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the group's operational commander.
Though the differences among the various militant groups hiding in the Waziristan tribal region were not a well-kept secret, Mehsud's death in Danday Darpa Khel, an area believed to be the stronghold of the Haqqani network and affiliated militants, followed by Haqqani's killing, has deepened suspicions among the leadership of the two militant organizations and seems to have ruptured any semblance of alliance or goodwill between them. The incidents have also widened the internal differences of the TTP, highlighting the power struggle between Mehsud and non-Mehsud supporters.
A source from Waziristan said that the TTP leadership suspected the Haqqani network of providing information to Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) on Mehsud's presence in Danday Darpa Khel. Other sources confirmed this, noting that Mehsud was not happy with the Haqqani network's ties to Pakistan's intelligence services and suspected its leaders were passing information to the government.
Likewise, the TTP emerged as the prime suspect in Haqqani's death, at least in the minds of most network members, despite some accounts that placed blame on tribal and familial feuds between the group's fighters. The TTP, however, denied any involvement and accused the ISI of killing the younger Haqqani. Not surprising, considering that it was the TTP's hatred of the Pakistani government and its security agencies that sidelined Punjabi Taliban leader Asmatullah Muawiya when he welcomed the government's offer for peace talks.
TTP's Internal Rifts
Well before the deaths of Wali-ur Rehman -- Hakimullah's deputy who was killed in a drone strike in May -- and Hakimullah, loyalists of the two top TTP leaders were engaged in a turf war in Pakistan's commercial capital of Karachi over the collection of extortion money. Prior to that, rifts emerged when Hakimullah was chosen over Wali-ur Rehman to lead the TTP after the death of Baitullah Mehsud in 2009. There are even reports that Wali-ur Rehman was killed after a tip about his location was provided to the ISI by Hakimullah's supporters, and that Hakimullah himself was targeted on the basis of intelligence shared by the TTP-affiliated Roshan Wazir Group.
Then, on Nov. 20, a suicide bomber believed to have been part of a splinter faction of the TTP killed seven Taliban fighters in the Mir Ali section of North Waziristan. The slain Taliban members included Saifuddin, a commander who was said to be a loyalist of Khan Said Sajna, Wali-ur Rehman's successor.
Earlier, visible differences emerged when Sajna was appointed as Wali-ur Rehman's successor without consultation with the TTP shura council (led by Hakimullah). The schism further widened when Mullah Fazlullah, a non-Mehsud TTP leader, was then elected over Sajna.
Sources say the fact that Fazlullah spent most of the last four years living across the border in Afghanistan is often discussed with a degree of resentment among TTP fighters and mid-ranking commanders, particularly those supporting Sajna. Fazlullah's deputy, Sheikh Khalid Haqqani, who hails from the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is also a non-Mehsud, is also now the organization's interim shura chief, replacing Asmatullah Shaheen, further evidence of the tensions between the different TTP factions.
TTP's Future
The killing of two top TTP leaders (Wali-ur Rehman and Hakimullah), intra-TTP differences, and issues related to clans and tribes (Mehsud and non-Mehsud) has caused serious damage to a group that was once fully united under the leadership of its founder, Baitullah Mehsud. The presence of Baitullah, and later Hakimullah (usually called Amir Sahib out of respect), was a source of inspiration for many young Mehsuds, while others joined the group hoping to achieve glory. Now, the loss of its top commanders and other leaders, such as Qari Hussain Mehsud (who trained suicide bombers), Qari Zafar (a local commander), and Maulvi Nazeer (who had close ties to the ISI), has considerably dried up recruiting for the Taliban and other militant groups.
Since the TTP has lost considerable amounts of whatever public sympathy it had -- mainly because of the numerous bomb attacks the group has conducted on mosques, markets, schools, and public places over the past few years -- any military action, which remains on the table in case peace negotiations do not work, will cause a serious blow to the group.
Daud Khattak is a Pakistani journalist currently working as a senior editor of Radio Mashaal for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague. He has worked with Pakistan's English dailies The News and Daily Times, Afghanistan's Pajhwok Afghan News, and has written for the Christian Science Monitor and London Sunday Times.
The views expressed here are the author's own and do not represent those of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
BANARAS KHAN/AFP/Getty Images
http://southasia.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/17/pakistani_taliban_tears_itself_apart#sthash.9JMhFVEa.dpbs
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National Security
The Best Deal on Offer
BY MICHAEL KEATING, ANDREW WILDER DECEMBER 19, 2013
Negotiations around the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between the United States and Afghanistan are testing the countries' relationship to the limit. In a recent interview with French daily Le Monde, Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused the United States of behaving like a colonial power, launching psychological warfare on the Afghan people, and, essentially, using the BSA to blackmail Afghanistan.
Mistrust and mismatched perceptions on both sides are fraying tempers and hardening negotiating positions. But they must not derail a security deal rooted in common interests. Too much is at stake, both for the United States and the long-suffering Afghan people, as well as the broader South Asia region.
In deferring the decision to sign the BSA and prolonging negotiations around the pact, Karzai is tempting fate. The stakes include the stability and security of Afghanistan and its neighbors, including volatile and nuclear-armed Pakistan. They also include the security of the United States and its allies, as 9/11 and the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London, in 2004 and 2005, respectively, so tragically demonstrated.
Exercising the "zero option" to withdraw all troops by the end of 2014 would pull the rug out from under Afghanistan, serving no one other than the Taliban. Massive investments since 2001 by the US, its allies and the Afghans themselves would be put in jeopardy.
Prolonging the uncertainty around the BSA is already having a destabilizing psychological and political impact on Afghanistan. Many Afghans are emigrating or moving their financial capital out of the country. And anxiety is increasing about the worst-case scenario: international abandonment and a descent into chaos that sucks in Afghanistan's neighbors, with disastrous economic and humanitarian consequences, large-scale population displacement, sharp increases in narcotic production, and the return of transnational terrorist groups using the country as a safe-haven.
Many Afghans are just as exasperated as the United States by Karzai's refusal to approve the BSA, even after the consultative Loya Jirga (grand assembly) of Afghan leaders authorized him to do so. They argue that by not signing, Karzai is prioritizing his own self-interest over Afghanistan's interests, and that he will be ultimately responsible if the zero option becomes a reality.
By generating uncertainty around the BSA, Karzai is ensuring that he remains the central political actor in Afghanistan, despite being at the end of his presidency. It also gives him greater leverage over the candidates vying to replace him.
He also has his legacy in mind. Assuming the responsibility for a long-term presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan is no light matter, and Karzai does not want to be remembered as the leader who compromised Afghan sovereignty. This concern helps explain his sensitivity about international forces entering Afghan homes, and consistent criticism over civilian casualties caused by U.S. and NATO forces.
Karzai seems convinced that the United States needs the agreement for its own strategic objectives, including as a base for launching counterterrorist operations in Pakistan, and that he is therefore negotiating from a position of strength. This view is shared by many Afghans for whom it is beyond belief that, at a time when the insurgency is as vigorous as ever, their country can go, in U.S. eyes, from being strategically crucial to disposable, as the zero option implies.
Karzai may also want to pave the way for a renewed peace process, despite the refusal, at least publicly, of the Taliban to negotiate with his government. He is not alone in believing that the way to move forward is not by fighting Taliban foot soldiers and killing their field commanders, but by bringing their Pakistan-based leadership to the table. Karzai's argument is that only the United States can adjust Pakistan's attitude towards the Afghan Taliban; a BSA that does not acknowledge this is hard for him to swallow.
However, while some of these concerns are understandable, they do not justify the risk of undermining the BSA. Doing so threatens two things on which Afghanistan's future depends: Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) that are capable of containing the insurgency, and a state that is able to meet its citizens' basic needs -- security, law and order, jobs, and access to services like health care and education. Afghanistan is heavily dependent upon its international partners for both.
ANSF capacity and capability has improved in recent years, and Afghans are proud of their armed forces. But the ANSF cannot be sustained without technical and financial support -- projected to be approximately $4 billion a year -- from the international community, particularly the United States.
Without the BSA, Western political support to continue these subsidies will weaken, if not evaporate. Without the money to pay the troops, the ANSF, like the army of then-President Mohammad Najibullah when it stopped receiving Soviet subsidies in 1992, may collapse.
Afghanistan's development also depends upon foreign aid. Despite progress in recent years in mobilizing domestic revenues, 90 percent of the country's budget comes from international donors. And its considerable natural resource wealth will not be exploited or generate revenues until security improves.
Facing other priorities, donor commitments made in Tokyo in 2012 to provide an additional $16 billion over the next four years to Afghanistan are vulnerable. While it is clear that Afghanistan must -- and can -- become more self-sufficient and use fewer development resources more wisely, it is equally clear that this cannot happen overnight. A full withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops would likely result in steep and sudden reductions in both military and civilian assistance.
Unpaid security forces and a cash-starved government unable to meet the needs and expectations of a rapidly growing and youthful population will increase Afghanistan's vulnerability to the Taliban, rapacious warlords, and criminal gangs.
But bad news emanating from Afghanistan should not obscure the achievements it has made, albeit at great expense, since 2001. The country has been transformed, in terms of its political life and constitution, media, economy, and social progress, including rights for women and girls. Hasty international disengagement will put all this in jeopardy.
From its perspective, the United States has exercised great patience with Karzai, who is miscalculating the mood in Washington, where politicians are increasingly skeptical as to why Afghanistan should receive so much U.S. taxpayer money. But after the hundreds of billions of dollars spent since 2001, $8 billion per year to sustain the gains and increase the prospects for a stable Afghanistan will be money well spent.
The BSA has already involved numerous compromises. Neither party will ever see it as ideal. But the perfect should not be the enemy of the good. It is the best deal on offer -- and it should be signed as soon as possible.
Michael Keating is a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House and former deputy U.N. envoy to Afghanistan.
Andrew Wilder is the vice president of the Center for South and Central Asia at the United States Institute of Peace, and founder of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit.
http://southasia.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/19/the_best_deal_on_offer#sthash.cQRpk6sY.dpbs
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THE SOUTH ASIA CHANNEL
Don't Disturb the Consensus
BY ISHRAT HUSAIN DECEMBER 18, 2013
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September. While many hoped it would signal a fresh start in Indo-Pak relations, it proved to be a missed opportunity for the two countries to get their bilateral relations back on track. The much awaited resumption of composite dialogue was never announced.
Very few people realize the sea change towards India that has taken place in Pakistan in the post-2001 period. The Pakistan army, no doubt the most powerful institution in Pakistan and also the main arbiter of its foreign policy, has finally realized that Pakistan's biggest threat is internal and no longer India. This shift in Pakistan's one-dimensional, India-centric outlook is significant and emerged after much deep introspection.
Evidence of this recalibration appeared in 2011 when the military voice its support for the previous government's efforts to grant "Most Favored Nation" (MFN) trade status to India and relax the visa regime to promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Unfortunately, the effort failed due to Pakistan's powerful agricultural lobby. After the government agreed to phase out a list of goods that could not be imported from India (known colloquially as "the negative list") by December 31, 2012, the agricultural lobby stepped in, arguing that India's heavy agricultural subsidies, higher tariffs, and sanitary standards to control plant diseases would act as a barrier for Pakistani exports. It claimed that Pakistan would be inundated with subsidized Indian food and grains, harming the livelihoods of Pakistani farmers.
As the 2013 general elections in Pakistan approached last May, the rural members of the parliament forced the government to delay phasing out the negative list, thus denying India MFN status. Sharif's government remains openly committed to phasing out the list, but it feels aggrieved by India's lukewarm response to its proposals to resume the composite bilateral dialogue, of which trade normalization is one component. A joint India-Pakistan Business Council has been formed to reach an understanding on the contentious issues raised by both sides, but progress has so far been slow and lackluster. While Pakistan should have conferred MFN status upon India nearly two years ago, it should certainly do so now without further delay. With the army's support, the government still has the ability to do so.
All the major political parties -- the Pakistan Peoples Party, the Pakistan Muslim League, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, the Awami National Party, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement -- have publicly committed to normalizing relations with India, strengthening trade and economic ties, and intensifying personnel exchanges. These sentiments even found their way into the parties' respective campaign platforms. Sharif has been a consistent and ardent advocate of better ties with India, to the chagrin of some of his closest aides.
Support for rapprochement outside the government has also grown. Pakistani media, otherwise known for its boisterousness, has begun to take a more sober view of India-Pakistan relations and anti-India rhetoric has dimmed. Public opinion polls show that the general population now considers terrorist elements operating in the country, not India, to be Pakistan's number one enemy. And the Pakistani business community, with a few exceptions, remains the biggest advocate and supporter of removing tariff and non-tariff barriers and increasing trade facilitation measures with India. These business organizations argue persuasively that a smaller economy such as Pakistan will benefit from closer ties to its larger neighbor. Such ties would give Pakistani consumers access to cheaper medicines and other products, while producers would obtain raw materials and inputs at lower prices that would make them more competitive in many lines of goods and services.
This hard-earned consensus in Pakistan is still fragile, however. It remains vulnerable to disruption by the venomous reactions of Indians, particularly the media, to recent events such as the death of Indian citizen Sarabjit Singh in a Pakistani prison in May or ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in Kashmir this fall. This backlash unwittingly plays in the hands of those hardliners in Pakistan who aim to unravel the bonhomie between the two countries. Indian media outlets, in their ongoing ratings wars, attempt to outdo each other by exuding poison against Pakistan, causing Pakistan-bashing in India to often assume hysteric proportions. The media influences public opinion in subtle and gradual ways, and iterations of these negative views on Facebook and Twitter add fuel to the fire. In an election year, Indian opposition parties find it convenient to use a heavy stick against the ruling party and criticize its weak stance against their "enemy."
These attacks put the Indian government on the defensive, lest it antagonize a public already indoctrinated against Pakistan. The result is that the Indian government has played hardball and dragged its feet in resuming the dialogue. While Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a sincere believer in better ties with Pakistan, he faces a multitude of other domestic issues and strong opposition from others in his party and the establishment. This is unfortunate. Amid strained relations, engagement and conversation are necessary to cool heated temperatures and remove misunderstandings; it is not a time for withdrawal and disengagement.
Meanwhile, hardliners and detractors in Pakistan are using India's official reaction to argue vociferously that their country is losing its self-respect and is bending over backwards to appease an unfriendly India. Those who believe strongly in the normalization of relations, both for improving the economic welfare of the poor in the two countries and as a stepping stone for durable peace, are forced to retreat and often labeled "Indian agents."
At some point, the public pressure may become so intense that this political consensus, achieved after such a long time and buttressed by the military, may break down. Jihadist elements and the Pakistani Taliban have already declared that, in case of war against India, they will fight alongside the Pakistani army. This would pacify the Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas, allowing the army to move its troops along Pakistan's border with India. If this happens, tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors could escalate and a region of the world with a long history of hostility could become violent.
The eruption of violence on the subcontinent could have consequences too terrible to imagine. Clearly, it is in the interest of global leaders to ensure that the two prime ministers agree to resume their bilateral dialogue and pick up economic relations and people-to-people exchanges. Preemptive collective efforts, rather than adopting a "wait and see" approach, are needed at this juncture to avoid the looming clouds of doom and gloom.
Ishrat Husain is the Dean and Director of the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi and is Chairman of the Global Advisory Council on Pakistan at the World Economic Forum.
STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images
http://southasia.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/18/dont_disturb_the_consensus#sthash.V86zwjDm.dpbs
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Karzai, Singh discuss security, defense issues
By 15/12/2013 11:51:00
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Karzai, Singh discuss security, defense issues
KABUL (WNA-Dec.14, 2013): During the Delhi leg of his visit, President Hamid Karzai met with Pranab Mukherjee, President of India and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a presidential palace statement said Saturday.
The Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid and National Security Advisor, Shivshankar Menon called on President Hamid Karzai, according to the statement.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed great pleasure at the strong and broad-based strategic partnership between India and Afghanistan and exchanged views on regional and global environment, the statement added.
The two leaders spoke with warmth and satisfaction at the state of bilateral relations and, in particular, the progress in the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Agreement.
President Karzai briefed Prime Minister on the political, security, and economic situation in Afghanistan, including the ongoing security transition in the country and Afghanistan’s relations with other countries.
Prime Minister conveyed India’s confidence in the ability of the people and the government of Afghanistan to build a strong, united, stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan that also contributes to regional peace and prosperity.
He reiterated India’s commitment to support Afghanistan through the transition and beyond, according to the statement.
The two leaders also agreed to work on further strengthening regional cooperation with the aim of regional integration and development, including through the Heart of Asia process. India is hosting the next meeting of the Senior Officials of Heart of Asia on 17 January 2014.
Consistent with their shared vision of Afghanistan and peace and security in the region, Prime Minister and President Karzai affirmed their commitment to further intensify their partnership in all areas, in accordance with their Strategic Partnership Agreement.
Prime Minister conveyed India’s continuing support for all-round socio-economic development of Afghanistan through promotion of business links, educational scholarships, and implementation of Indian assisted development and reconstruction projects.
The two leaders also agreed to work with the Islamic Republic of Iran for development of new trade routes to facilitate trade and transit to Afghanistan and beyond.
The two leaders also agreed on deepening defense and security cooperation, including through enhancement in training and meeting the equipment and infrastructure needs of Afghanistan National Security and Defense Forces that would increase their operational capabilities and mobility. The two leaders also agreed to expand opportunities for higher military education in India for Afghan officers.
Prime Minister thanked President Karzai for the support extended by the Government of Afghanistan in safeguarding Indian Missions and personnel in Afghanistan. He conveyed deep gratitude to the Afghan security forces for thwarting the suicide attack against Indian Consulate in Jalalabad in August 2013.
The two leaders reiterated their resolve to work together as well as with the international community to counter the forces of terrorism and extremism that have been affecting the two countries and threatening the entire region.
President Pranab Mukherjee hosted President Karzai to a private dinner, where the two leaders discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern. President Mukherjee fondly recalled his visit to Afghanistan to inaugurate the Zaranj-Delaram Highway. President Karzai extended an invitation to President Mukherjee to visit Afghanistan.
President Karzai is accompanied by a high level delegation comprising Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zarar Ahmad Osmani, National Security Advisor Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Acting Minister of Commerce & Industries, Mr. Shaker Kargar and other senior officials.
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AFGHANISTAN: Senate indorses seat for Hindus minority
By 25/12/2013 08:22:00
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Senate indorses seat for Hindus minority
KABUL (WNA-Dec. 25, 2013): Afghanistan Wolesi Jirga—upper house of parliament with an overwhelming majority of votes approved a president Karzai’s sent amendment draft helping the Hindus and Sikhs minority have a seat at the national assembly.
At the Senate meeting chaired by Fazul Hadi Muslimyar, the senate alongside confirming three international documents, confirmed the draft amendment at the election law pertaining to allocation of a seat for the Hindu and Sikhs minority at the House of People.
Earlier, the Wolesi Jirga—upper house of parliament rejected a seat if the few hundred households of Hindus and Sikhs could enjoy at the house of people.
Meanwhile, the agreement of friendship and cooperation between Afghanistan and Indonesia, the strategic agreement between Afghanistan and the Royal Government of Denmark and an agreement between Afghanistan and Britain and Northern Ireland with respect to aid to the academy of national army officers were adopted by the Senate meeting.
Meanwhile the draft amendment and addition to the election law pertaining to allocation of a seat at the House of People for Hindu and Sikh community was adopted with majority vote of the senators. However, the House of People in its general meeting had rejected it earlier while the senate considering allocation of the ten seats for the Kuchis and considering an empty seat at the House of People justified its confirmation.
A joint commission was also set also to remove differences of views between the two Houses of People.
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Afghanistan, Pakistan, China to enhance cooperation
By 11/12/2013 14:49:00
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KABUL (Dec. 10, 2013): Afghanistan, China and Pakistan during their third round of a two-day dialogue here in Kabul on Tuesday agreed to enhance cooperation among the three neighbors.
The three sides agreed to help restore security in Afghanistan and in the region and emphasized that under the ongoing sensitive situation it is of great significance for three Foreign Ministries to hold the trilateral dialogue and exchange views on regional situation and cooperation between the three countries.
The dialogue will play a positive role in enhancing friendly cooperation between the three countries and maintaining peace and stability in the region, they maintained.
It was agreed that the three sides to cooperate and to maintain the security in Afghanistan and in the region.
Both China and Pakistan reiterated that peace and stability in Afghanistan is in their national interest and they support an Afghan-led reconciliation process.
The three countries supported the role played by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for peace and stability in the region. The meeting welcomed the successful visit by President Hamid Karzai to Pakistan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Kabul as a step for improving cooperation between two countries.
Report: Wakht
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80% of Afghan-Pak transit issues resolved
Posted by wadsam | December 26, 2013 |
The Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industries (APJCCI) on its second annual meeting in Kabul conferred on ways to bring the two nations together and keep economic relations away from politics.
According to APJCCI’s officials, 80% of transit problems between Afghanistan and Pakistan have resolved.
Trade relations between the two nations would always become a victim of political dents.
Co-president of APJCCI, Mohammad Zubair Motiwala, suggested using afghanis or rupees to help address some of the trade problems.
“Dollar-based transactions are a major problem for traders from both countries. I request both Afghan and Pakistan traders to use Afghani or Rupees, as I think they will be better off,” said Motiwala.
Earlier this year the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Commission (JEC) had agreed to enhance the bilateral trade from USD 2.5 billion in 2013 to USD 5 billion by 2015.
According to data compiled by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and State Bank of Pakistan, total bilateral trade in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013-2014 fell by 15% year-on-year, indicating that the trade target of USD 5 billion by 2015 could be unlikely to achieve.
On the other hand, Afghanistan’s imports have increased. Imports from Afghanistan rose USD 0.2 billion fiscal year 2012 to USD 0.92 billion during the first quarter of the current fiscal year.
Pakistan officials have attributed the decline in Afghan-Pak bilateral trade to the rise in informal trade across the border. Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) notes that a trade observer highlighted how Afghan markets are flooded with Pakistani textile products, but the same is not visible in official data.
Furthermore, Pakistan officials have also cited increase in Iran’s exports to Afghanistan as one of the factors eating into the share of Pakistani exports in Afghanistan.
Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industries Muzamil Shinwari, who also attended the conference, said if the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Agreement (APTA) was properly executed, all transit problems would be addressed.
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Afghanistan’s exports double this year: Ministry of Commerce and Industries
Posted by wadsam | December 25, 2013 |
Afghan Ministry of Commerce and Industries has reported a two-fold increase in Afghanistan’s exports.
According to the Ministry’s spokesperson, Afghanistan’s exports stood at USD 62mn in 2012, while the amount has surpassed USD 100mn during the first six months of the current fiscal year.
Major Afghan exports include fresh vegetables and fruits and dry fruits.
Afghanistan’s economy is an imports-oriented economy with USD 6 billion worth of goods imported annually into the country.
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Survey Shows Public Support for Candidates Rising
TOLOnews.com By Tariq Majidi 23 December 2013
According to a recent survey conducted by ATR and TOLOnews, public interest in the upcoming elections increased over the past two months, with more Afghans decided on who they will support for President.
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Ban on Afghan TV in Pakistan Causes Backlash
TOLOnews.com By Abduhaq Omeri 23 December 2013
Afghans living in Pakistan on Monday reacted against the recent prohibition of Afghan TV channels in Pakistan, which they claimed first began several months ago.
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Plot to kill Nangarhar governor foiled by Afghan intelligence
By GHANIZADA - Tue Dec 24, 2:10 pm Khaama Press
Afghan intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces arrested a group of four insurgents, who were appointed to assassinate Nangarhar provincial governor, Maulavi Ataullah Ludin.
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Singer Kellie Pickler entertains U.S. troops in Afghanistan on Christmas Day
Keeping a wonderful tradition of beautiful blondes entertaining U.S. troops abroad during the holidays, the sexy, silly, and talented country singer Kellie Pickler spent her Christmas Day wearing “camouflage leggings and rhinestone boots” while performing for U.S. soldiers on Dec. 25 in war torn southern Afghanistan.
The 27-year-old Pickler may have finished in sixth place on TV’s “American Idol” in 2006, but finished first in the hearts of troops and fans while in Kandahar, according to The Washington Post.
Pickler was here to thank them, to shake their hands, to assure them that Americans hadn’t forgotten about their sacrifices, even as support for the war sinks to a new low. She was also here to sing twangy love songs.
For one day, she was Dinah Shore in Normandy, Marilyn Monroe in Korea, Raquel Welch in Vietnam. A blond spark that lit the desert.
Although the Afghan Army has taken over much of the fighting in Afghanistan while the White House plans the American withdrawl, American troops will maintain a presence in the area through next year.
While in Afghanistan with the USO, the 2013 “Dancing with the Stars” winner mingled with the troops and posed for photos with the soldiers, with many of the troops having their shoulder slung rifles at the ready.
She visited wounded troops, told the top U.S. commander in southern Afghanistan about her Chihuahua, saw an Afghan boy who had been blinded by a makeshift bomb, spoke emotionally about the importance of the war effort:
“If I were an Afghan woman, I would hope someone would help me provide a better life for me and my children.”
Kellie traveled in Black Hawks and Chinooks and even fired a howitzer during her stay.
Troops and Afghans in the region, even those who formerly weren’t familiar with the effervescent Kellie Pickler, soon became smitten.
“She told me I had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen,” Cpl. Clay Beyersdorfer said. “I’m ready to die now.”
“Who is that? She is a very pretty woman. Will she take a picture with me?” said Edris Searat, an Afghan interpreter working with the U.S. Air Force.
The USO has been sending celebrities and performers to American military bases around the world since 1941 on a mission of boosting troop morale.
And according to Kellie Pickler regarding her trip to Afghanistan “There’s no place I’d rather spend Christmas.”
For more on the lovely Kellie Pickler and images of her bikini body gracing Twitter, see the video accompanying this article.
Merry Christmas Kellie Pickler. Merry Christmas and “thank you” to our troops.
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Prominent Taliban leader killed in Kandahar province
By Ghanizada - Wed Dec 25, 9:26 pm
A prominent Taliban leader was killed following an ambush by Afghan national army (ANA) forces in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan.
According to local government officials in Kandahar province, the senior Taliban leader, Mullah Noor Mohammad was killed in Panjwai district.
Provincial governor spokesman, Javid Faisal said Mullah Noor Mohammad was behind major attacks on Afghan and coalition security forces in Panjwai district and other regions of Kandahar province.
Mr. Faisal further added that Afghan national army soldiers had received intelligence reports regarding Mullah Mohammad Noor, and was killed during an ambush on Wednesday.
He said Afghan national army soldiers also seized weapons, ammunition and communication device from the Taliban leader.
Taliban militants group yet to comment regarding the report.
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Georgian soldiers launch operation in Afghanistan
Tbilisi, Georgia, Dec. 26
By Nana Kirtzkhalia - Trend:
The 31st Light Infantry Battalion of the Georgian armed forces conducted a military operation in Afghanistan, codenamed "Hunter III".
The purpose of the operation was to reduce the rebel forces' influence in the area of the battalion's operations, Georgian Defense Ministry said.
According to various sources, extremists have influence over residents of the South Charabaya village. Several attacks have been conducted in recent months on coalition forces patrols from this village's vicinity, with the use of improvised explosive devices.
The command of the 31st Battalion decided to conduct a military operation. The main objective of the operation was to divide and limit the enemy's actions in order to prevent attacks on coalition forces.
The task was performed by Charlie and Alpha companies of the 31st Battalion, with the support of the U.S. marines.
The main objective of the Georgian soldiers was to create a base patrol around the village, its isolation and cordoning, as well as holding conversations with the local population. Georgian servicemen also provided the population with first aid and gave them warm clothes.
"Hunter III" operation was conducted in four stages and lasted 30 hours. It included 250 Georgian soldiers and 52 U.S. marines. Georgian soldiers were supported by a group of sappers, a radio interception battalion, a fighting dogs unit and soldiers of the Afghan National Army.
Over 50 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles and military helicopters were used during the operation. "Hunter III" operation was evaluated as successful.
Translated by E.A.
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Tokyo-funded projects executed at Kabul airport
Posted by wadsam | December 26, 2013 | 0
Two major projects funded by the Japanese government have been completed at the Kabul International Airport.
Costing USD 50 million, the projects included expansion of the aircraft parking space by 20% and refurbishment of the taxiways.
“The Kabul airport is the aerial gateway to Afghanistan from the world and our funding for this airport is a symbol of the friendship expressed by the people of Japan towards the people of Afghanistan.“Japan will continue its support to the Kabul International Airport to improve its facilities and function. We hope the government of Afghanistan would address various challenges it faces during the transitional period,” said Japanese ambassador, Japan Hiroshi Takahashi.
Tokyo has donated over USD 990mn to the Kabul airport to date, including the construction of its International Terminal and the solar panels.
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Soldier in Afghanistan watches baby’s birth via Skype
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/soldier-in-afghanistan-watches-babys-birth-via-sky/ncQCb/
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ALL NATO-UN NATIONS CUTTING THE GUTS OUT OF OUR TROOPS WHO FIGHT AND DIE 4 OUR FLAGS.... this is horrid
Joe Henderson
Henderson: Washington breaking its promise on military benefits
http://tbo.com/list/columns-jhenderson/henderson-washington-breaking-its-promise-on-military-benefits-20131225/
By Joe Henderson | Tribune Staff
Published: December 25, 2013
The government has been known to spend a lot of money foolishly, but keeping the pact it made with military veterans about pensions and other benefits is not an example of Washington waste. It’s a promise made to people whose job description includes having bullets fired at them by the Taliban and other enemies, and it ought to be kept.
Veterans groups are rallying against proposed benefit cuts as Washington politicians on both sides of the aisle look for ways to cut the budget. Since curbing the government’s appetite for cash is a high priority for lots of people these days, someone has to lose when spending gets trimmed.
****
It shouldn’t be the troops, though.
I won’t deny that the pensions and other benefits offered to military people are generous. That was part of the sales pitch to get volunteers to sign up for duty in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but now people including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and U.S. Rep. Paul “Slash the Budget” Ryan are saying we can’t afford to pay what we promised.
It’s a little late for that.
As a story in The Tampa Tribune showed, only 17 percent of military personnel serve long enough to even qualify for a pension. That total includes people who joined up at age 18, stayed the mandatory 20 years, and then began drawing half their base salary at age 38.
Yep, that’s pretty generous all right. I also don’t have a problem with that, because we made a deal.
****
The Pentagon says it pays $4.5 billion annually to about 2 million retirees.
Where, oh where, can they find the money?
According to the website WashPIRG.org, large corporations with good tax lawyers are able to park a lot of money they make in this country into off-shore locations. The website reported that massive drug-making company Pfizer made 40 percent of its sales in the United States over the last five years but reported no taxable income during that time and has $73 billion in off-shore accounts.
Companies including Microsoft and Citigroup also benefited from loopholes.
Oh, and Pfizer CEO Ian Reed made $18 million in 2012.
But no, Washington’s response is that military pensions and other “entitlements” such as Social Security and Medicare are bankrupting the country and we have to get a handle on them. Why don’t we all just pay our fair share, including the multinational corporations? That would be one way to solve the problem.
Of course, we know how this is really going to end, don’t we?
After the backlash from veterans groups, early next year Congress will almost certainly amend the budget it just passed and restore pensions to their promised levels. Then the budget hawks will go looking for other ways to break the government’s promises to everyday folks who pay the bills and keep this country running.
And the big companies with the best lobbyists will make sure the tax laws don’t change.
It’s how the game is played in Washington.
http://tbo.com/list/columns-jhenderson/henderson-washington-breaking-its-promise-on-military-benefits-20131225/
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Canada just enlisted Santa Claus in its effort to control the Arctic
An icebreaker steams toward the Arctic. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
If it were up to the Canadian government, children all over the world would have imagined Santa Claus soaring over their rooftops Wednesday while carrying the dark-blue passport of a Canadian citizen.
Last week, in a publicity stunt meant to show off the country's new electronic passports, the Canadian immigration minister announced that "Santa Claus" and "Mrs. Claus" would be granted Canadian passports in an official ceremony.
It's a mostly lighthearted story that actually touches on something very serious: Canada's increasingly expansive claims of sovereignty over the Arctic, potentially to include the North Pole itself. The Santa passport stunt hinted at this: The official release explained that the passports had been issued because "Santa and Mrs. Claus live in North Pole, Canada, with their many helpers."
It's no joke. As the polar ice caps melt, the Arctic Sea is opening up, creating new and unclaimed territory for the first time in modern history. The Arctic is set to become an important shipping route, as well as a major source of oil and natural gas. The big, unanswered question is, when that territory opens up, who will control which parts of it? Five countries are claiming parts of the Arctic: Canada, the United States, Denmark, Norway and Russia. And one of the most assertive countries in making its Arctic claim is -- are you sitting down? -- Canada.
The government of conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been expanding Canada's claim to the Arctic, which it wants to include the North Pole. Canada can't just call "dibs" -- it has to make its claim with scientific data proving that its continental shelf extends into the areas it wants to call its own. But that process has to go through the United Nations, which opens up the possibility of diplomatic maneuvering, and the five states have to resolve any overlapping claims between one another. So there's real room for Canada to expand its claim.
It would be easy to laugh at the idea of Canada as aggressor -- go ahead, I won't stop you -- but this is serious business. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also seeking control of the North Pole. The Arctic is becoming increasingly militarized even before it opens up. When the permanent ice cap does recede, perhaps as early as 2020, no one is entirely sure how these five competing countries will handle overlapping claims.
To be clear, that doesn't mean we're ramping up for the great Canadian-Russian War of 2025. And the process of parceling out Arctic control is highly regulated by all sorts of international law and agreements designed to make it go smoothly. But if the stakes are high enough here that it's bringing out the territorial expansionist in even Canada, that should tell us something about the gravity of the great Arctic land-grab.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/12/26/canada-just-enlisted-santa-claus-in-its-effort-to-control-the-arctic/?tid=hpModule_949fa2be-8691-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394
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TRUE PATRIOT LOVE- CANADA: STANDING STRONG AND TRUE.... FOR TOMORROW- HONOURING OUR CANADIAN TROOPS....
Standing Strong & True (For Tomorrow) Official Music Video (HD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuNeV0fMflw
All benefits donated to the families of fallen soldiers.....
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WOUNDED WARRIORS.CA "Freedom" Support our troops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFuVGYRZUa0
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THE TREWS- HIGHWAY OF HEROES
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The Purpose (Get Up Weary Soldier)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaRI0VSyjps
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Heaven was needing a hero (Hommage Canadien 2012 Canadian Tribute)-Jo Dee Messina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAQzp3mOBgw
Un montage de photos en hommage à nos Soldats Canadiens décédé en service pour défendre notre pays et notre liberté.
A photos montage tribute to our Canadian Fallen Soldiers who died while serving our country and protect our freedom.
Merci à vous.
Thanks to you.
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UK: 'We Will Remember Them'. A Tribute For Fallen Troops. CD / DVD Out Now (our Michael Bolton... and treasures supporting UK)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ektQbe-dOU
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I'd prefer to be a poster girl- on the wrong side of the world....... because I wish the wrong side of the world had our rights......THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM- THIS SONG IS THE VERA LYNN SONG OF WWII- WWII- Uncle Harold said freedom is worth fighting 4 ... if necessary dying r- and all people whould be able 2 wear the cloak of freedom... 2 the children, women, elders, disabled, poorest of the poor...
Aussie Digger Tribute : POSTER GIRL (this beautiful brave song and words- fit all Nato troops..... God bless u all)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqPUxSeddCw
Just a small tribute to the men and women that are serving and defending our great country.
Song: 'Poster Girl' by Beccy Cole
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What have u done 2day 4 freedom....?
CANADA : 11,000 Canadians buy the white Poppy- 18 million Canadians buy our Red Poppy of Respect 4 our freedoms- ok with that- but do NOT diss troops on Nov. 11- we will getcha - and it won't be the troops - u interfere with 35.5 million Canadians quietly honouring our troops- our Military, Militia, Reservists and Rangers - who have died 4 the freedoms we live on in Canada- we will hunt u down... we will find u... we will post ur names on a wall of shame 2 circulate around the world. Canadians are tired of our children wearing our Canadian flags dying, wounded, suicides over freedoms in lands that are just horrific 4 women and children.... and the troops walk that talk each and every day... don't u dare burn our flag... or diss our Canada- we would never 4give u... instead 4 peace serve at food banks... give blankets and clothes 2 the homeless.... take care of stray animals... help children of Canada who can't afford books and sneakers; give 2 the Red Cross- blood donations; clean our highways, help pack food at food banks -homeless centres, volunteer 2 read and help elderly, volunteer at youth centres, organize fund raisers 4 disadvantaged -of which there are many- in our Canada .... u want peace.... well how about earning it!
WHITE POPPIES= RED POPPIES
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=702431233108235&set=a.153203521364345.32932.100000240949070&type=1&theater¬if_t=like
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Those waiting at home........ the silent heroes of our Canada..... each and all.... Avril's incredible voice and words ....what a powerful song & video
Tribute to the Invisible rank - NOVEMBER 2011
www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ViNbZRDf8&feature=share
A tribute to the extended military families that suffer through tours and deployments so there Mothers, Fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands, sons or daughters can bring peace to others. I do not take any copyright claims to any of this material.
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USA
Wounded Warrior Project: Trace Adkins and the West Point Cadet Glee Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9IjjUCFFmg
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BLOG
CHRISTMAS JOKES FROM COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD... SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS... 4EVA AND 4ALWAYS..
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Let's have some Christmas cheer troops- Videos and jokes and honour 2da 4 South Pole - Walking With The Wounded Allied Challenge- South Pole-here they come December 2013
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/12/canada-military-news-lets-have-some.html
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