"Situation in Afghanistan"

Statement of Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations at the Security Council (25th August, 2004)

I wish to thank Mr. Jean Arnault the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for his briefing to the Council on the latest situation in Afghanistan.

2. President Karzai has just completed a two-day official visit to Islamabad in which he held wide ranging talks on a number of issues with President Musharraf and Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. At the end of the talks, President Karzai said that the consequence of this discussion has been the reaffirmation of the brotherly ties between the two countries, the reaffirmation of our joint struggle against terrorism. President Musharraf said that “anybody trying to carry out terrorist activities in Afghanistan or to disrupt the election process…. will not be allowed from Pakistan. We will act against them. The Pakistani Army is operating very strongly against Al-Qaeda, we know that they are on the run, they are dispersed and displaced from a number of valleys which were their sanctuaries.
3. For this reason Pakistan is sparing no effort to assist Afghanistan in all possible fields. As we heard today from Mr. Arnault security in Afghanistan remains a major concern. We agree with that assessment. Security threats emanate from the warlords and factional forces as they do from the extremists. Without security there can be no stability, no progress in the political process, no reconstruction and no recovery.
4. Afghanistan now faces a major challenge in the forthcoming elections. Pakistan attaches great importance to this important landmark of the Bonn Process. It is equally important these elections are free, fair and credible. While we are pleased to note that some 10 million Afghan voters have been registered, we remain concerned that sufficient registration has not taken place in the south and southeastern parts of Afghanistan, mainly due to security concerns. At the same time we remain concerns that vested interests and powerful warlords will seek to undermine or unfairly influence the electoral process. We therefore, believe it is of the utmost importance for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to provide an early, effective and enhanced security cover for the elections throughout the country.
5. Pakistan is extending full cooperation and support to UNAMA, IOM and the Government of Afghanistan in their preparations for the out-of-country participation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan in the October 9 Presidential elections. To this effect, Pakistan signed an MOU with UNAMA and the Afghan Government on 20th July, 2004. We have also pledged $5 million for this purpose. Currently Pakistan is facilitating the movement of UNAMA and IOM personnel to various refugee camps located in NWFP and Baluchistan provinces.
6. While we are pleased that Afghan refugees in Pakistan will be participating in the Presidential elections. We hope that the also have the opportunity to participate in the future parliamentary elections also. These people are Afghan citizens and as Afghan citizens, they retain their democratic rights to vote in any future Afghan election. Those Afghans who are currently in Pakistan are not economic migrants but refugees who fled war and suffering in their home country. We hope that ultimately ways will be found to return and repatriate all Afghans currently residing in Pakistan to their places of origin Afghanistan.
7. The threats to Afghanistan security lie inside Afghanistan. In an interview on 12 July 2004, President Karzai said that “the warlords and the private militia pose the greatest threat to Afghanistan’s security – even more than the Taliban”. In a recent article in the Foreign Affairs, Kathy Gannon – who knows Afghanistan well – wrote: The warlords have now ruled the country for two years, and Afghanistan seems to be degenerating into a sort of narco-state, which could spin out of control. Not only are the warlords complicit in drug-running and corruption, but according to Afghanistan’s Human Rights Committee, they are also guilty of abusing and harassing the population. The warlords have stolen peoples’ homes, arbitrarily arrested their enemies, and tortured them in private jails.” The primary mistake, therefore, has been to rely on warlords and factional forces to provide security in Afghanistan. The result of this mistake is the creation of vacuums in large parts of Afghanistan where the writ of the central government does not run – and where lawlessness, corruption and drug trafficking thrive. This has alienated the large part of Afghanistan’s society and created the conditions for the extremists, and others, to undermine the political process.
8. The root cause of Afghanistan problems are need to dismantle private armies, provide good governance and the rule of law, and to deal with vested interests who have continue to ruin their country for parochial gains, and to break the nexus of the warlords and the drug-lords that continue to plague the country. Unless and until these vital issues are addressed, peace and stability in Afghanistan will remain a distant mirage.
9. I would like to ask Mr. Aranult that how has UNAMA reached the conclusion that the factional militias now number 50,000 from the 100,000 originally estimated? Does this change result from not counting those militiamen attached to those who are members of the central government or are they based on some other calculation? In our opinion DDR will happen only when all the militias are completely disarmed and not as a result of any “recapping” of militias under “national commanders”.
10. The insecurity in Afghanistan is not difficult to understand. It is a result of alienation brought on by political exclusion, the warlords actions, crime and the lack of a security presence in the South and South-East. The Coalition forces are engaged in the war against terror. The presence of ISAF is limited only to Kabul and Kunduz to protect PRTS.
11. The Afghan National Army – which now numbers over 13,500 – is still not in a position to cope with the security challenges in the country. The Army suffers from what I would call an ethnic deficit and imbalance. Until the Afghan national army is in a position to provide credible security, the responsibility of providing security in Afghanistan rests with the international forces – in particular, the International Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Without a substantial increase in ISAF’s strength and its robust deployment throughout Afghanistan, there will be no disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the factional forces. There will be no extension of the central government authorities. There will be no way to establish the rule of law and to put an end the menace of drugs and lawlessness. There will be no means to pacify those Afghans – who are in a majority – but who continue to feel alienated.
12. As the security situation continues to deteriorate and warlords and criminals wreak havoc, conditions very similar to those that prevailed in 1992 and 1993 are being recreated. That is when the Taliban emerged. Chaos and insecurity in Afghanistan is once again breeding extremism.
13. There are nevertheless quarters who seeking to shift the blame on Pakistan. There seems to be a compulsion on the part of certain power centres and some individuals to find scapegoats for failing to address the real security threats in Afghanistan. Even some UNAMA officials seem to playing into their hands or playing their game. Pakistan takes serious note of this. We look to assurances of the objectivity and impartiality on the part of the United Nations.
14. Pakistan has followed a strict hands off approach towards internal developments in Afghanistan. Pakistan is extending its full cooperation in the war against terrorism. “Agreement on Good Neighbourly Relations” MOU on Security, Narcotics and the functioning of Pak-Afghan-US Tripartite Commission are clear manifestations of our policy.
15. Pakistan has undertaken the following concerete measures in counter terrorism to interdict suspects, and to check infiltration across the Pak-Afghan border:

1. Deployment of 75,000 troops, and establishment of 800 posts and a number of forts along with border with Afghanistan.
2. Absorption of No-go areas in the Tribal Agencies of South Waziristan, Khyber and Mohamand to deny the use of these areas to terrorists elements.
3. Establishment of Quick Reaction Force to deal with terrorists in a prompt manner.
4. Aerial surveillance of the border and use of heli-borne troops.
5. Fencing of 25 km stretch of the border.
6. Installation of searchlights and video cameras at Chaman, Shela Bagh and other border crossings.
7. The Frontier Corps Baluchistan has established an ‘Interdiction Force’ to prevent cross border infiltration.
8. The operations in South Waziristan Agency continue. Our Forces killed more than 165 militants including Commander Naik Muhammad and arrested several hundred others. Our Forces are operating in the most inhospitable and difficdult terrain. We have lost our 100 security personnel.

16. Pakistan is sustaining its efforts despite technical capacity deficits in equipment – UAVs, surveillance equipment, attack helicopters, night vision devices and long range communication system. We have also persisted in this campaign in the face of fierce opposition from some extremist groups in Pakistan.
17. Security is essential for reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, conversely reconstruction will improve the prospects of peace and security. Pakistan has pledged $ 100 million for Afghanistan’s reconstruction. These funds are being used in sectors identified by the Afghans themselves. Projects underway are aimed at the development of infrastructure, schools and hospitals, including, amongst others, the construction of Torkham-Jalalabad road which is due to be completed by July 2005 and the Chaman-Kandahar rail link.
18. In addition, Pakistan is assisting Afghanistan in capacity building for important state institutions, especially in the fields of law enforcement, diplomacy, judiciary, customs, postal services, taxation, banking finance, audit and accounts. During President Karzai’s recent visits, discussions have been held to boost bilateral trade which currently stands at nearly $1 billion. Pakistan is also working with Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on the construction of a gas pipeline which has the potential of opening up the energy markets of Central Asia.
19. We remain concerned, that in spite of substantive pledges made both at the Tokyo ($4.2 billion) and the Berlin ($8.2 billion) Conferences Afghanistan continues to receive far less reconstruction than what it requires. Even if pledges from both these conferences are realize Afghanistan would still receive far less per capita assistance than received by other countries in similar circumstances. The international community needs to find ways to step up its reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan in spite of the prevailing challenges.
20. Two years ago during President Musharraf’s first visit to Kabul, he told President Karzai, “your plan is our plan.” This still remains our policy. A peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan. To achieve this objective, we are doing, and will continue to do, all that we can including securing the long, difficult and inhospitable border. However, there should be no attempt to underplay the enormity of the internal security and political problems in Afghanistan. Nor should we be complacent about the insufficient levels of security and reconstruction support deployed by the international community for Afghanistan. Much more needs to be done by the international community in all these areas. Shifting the blame, finding scapegoats for failures in Afghanistan and asking those who are already doing more than that they do even more is unfair and acceptable, and ultimately self-defeating.