ISLAMABAD - Former interior minister and Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms Rehman Malik has urged US President Joe Biden and world powers to play their role in bringing peace in Afghanistan to win the hearts and minds of Afghans in particular and the world in general.
In an open letter to US President Joe Biden, he suggested the US President to devise a pragmatic exit strategy to stop further bloodshed in Afghanistan where the US forces have already started vacating Bagram Air Base being handed over to Afghan forces.
Rehman Malik said, “If the world powers do not converge on one point of bringing peace to Afghanistan, then he sees Taliban marching towards Kabul and every passing day will become dangerous for the anti-Taliban and non-Taliban government and the Afghan society.”
He urged the US President to convert the tragedy of Afghanistan into happiness and enable the Afghan future generation to live their lives their way and not under the fears of roaring guns. He said that Kabul was likely to be vacated by diplomats and other foreigners out of fear which was very alarming and peace could be restored only by urgent initiatives of world powers, particularly the US. He apprehended that without a pragmatic exit strategy, mass migrations of Afghan refugees to the neighbouring countries could start in fear and we would witness another brand of the ‘Zaliman’ creating trouble on a large level in the world.
Rehman Malik said that it was unfortunate that world powers including the US were having divergent views on agreeing to a one-point agenda which was nothing but “peace”, with no other option except peace. He suggested that Pakistan must move with other friendly countries and bring a resolution for the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan.
Rehman Malik urged the US President that it was time for him to convince the fellow world powers on one-point agenda of peace.
He said that let the Taliban and the present Afghan government be forced to sit at the table to work out a peaceful transition and formation of the government as per the wish of the people of Afghanistan.
“I propose that let the Pentagon under President Joe Biden take the initiative to take solid steps for peace in Afghanistan and let us set objectives to determine the unrest and killing of innocent people as enemies of humanity and avoid another round of killings in Afghanistan by engaging China, Russia, the UK, the UAE, Pakistan, and Iran for the sake of the tired Afghans from this useless war of 30 years” he stated.
He said that US President Joe Biden with the right strategy had the ability to bring real peace to Afghanistan and Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was fully determined to bring peace to Afghanistan and his tireless positive efforts were on record.