Sometimes it sounds too idealistic hearing some analysts on our electronic media advising US to leave Afghanistan for the sake of peace. No doubt every Pakistanis wants to see withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in the larger interest of peace and stability in the region. But why would US go out of Afghanistan because of our wishing so? Do we think US came here for adventure or sports? Surely, it has some definitive objectives? They always do. There are several views about the real objectives of US in Afghanistan. The most widely believed one is that US wishes to contain China, Russia and Iran as well as access the oil basin of Central Asia. To do any of these things, it needs to have a solid footing in Afghanistan. Hence, the ongoing drama called the war on terror. Setting aside questions about the true nature of US objectives here, one fact, at least, is absolutely clear; US is not here for the short term. In the likely scenarios generally constructed, each of the above noted objectives could take years, indeed decades, to fulfill. With that situation in mind, would it not be better if our intellectuals focused their intellect and time in spelling out how Pakistan should deal with the situation if US is here for the long haul? -ANWAR JALAL, Peshawar, via e-mail, September 28.