Pakistan's former military ruler and a key U.S. ally in the war against terror, retired General Pervez Musharraf has warned of civil war if the United States withdraws its troops from Afghanistan without stabilizing that war-ravaged country. "It will be a dangerous situation if they [Americans] withdraw in 2014 and don't bring stability to Afghanistan."
Talking to Pakistani journalists after addressing his supporters in New York on July 17, Musharraf opposed the U.S. timeline for the Afghanistan withdrawal. "I always tell the [Americans] here not to make [the Afghan withdrawal] time-related. Make it effect-related. You must leave, but go after creating political stability in Afghanistan."
Musharraf ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008 both as a military chief executive and as president. He currently lives in London in self-exile and faces murder charges in Pakistan in the assassinations of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in 2007, and Nawab Akber Bugti, a nationalist leader and former governor of Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, who was killed in a military action on August 26, 2006. An Anti-Terrorism Court in Pakistan declared Musharraf an absconder in the Bhutto murder case in May of this year.
Musharraf vehemently denies the charges.
The former Pakistani general foresees two possible scenarios in Afghanistan if Washington withdraws its forces in 2014 without stabilizing the country.
"Number one: a return to the 1989 era when [the Soviets] left Afghanistan and Pashtoon, Tajik, Uzbek and Hazaras [the major ethnic groups in Afghanistan] started fighting against each other. They caused unbelievable destruction to their country. Kabul became a ghost city because it had pockets of each of the warring factions, just like in Beirut [during the Lebanese civil war]."
The second scenario, according to Musharraf, could be the return of the 1996 era when the [predominantly ethnic Pashtoon] Taliban came into power and fought against the Northern Alliance [comprised of Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara ethnic groups]. He feared renewed hostilities between these groups.
"I think since the Taliban are not monolithic, they are not commanded by a single commander. [Sirajuddin] Haqqani is a Taliban commander. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is also a Taliban commander. The TTP [Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan – an umbrella organization of Pakistani extremists closely aligned with the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda] is also Taliban. So they are not monolithic and I think that they will fight again."
Hekmatyar is a former prime minister of Afghanistan who fought against the Soviet Union during its occupation of his land-locked country. He is remembered chiefly for his role in the bloody civil war of the 1990s. He is currently wanted by the US for participating in terrorist activities with Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Musharraf believes instability in Afghanistan would have direct implications for Pakistan and even India, where Kashmiri groups, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, are fighting Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir. In the past, the groups' activities "were focused on [the Indian administered] Kashmir," he said, but now they are allied to the Taliban in Afghanistan and to extremists in India. "It's a huge problem and I think Bombay-like incidents may continue to happen" destabilizing the entire region.
He advised Pakistan to tread a careful course on the question of a possible U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. "We should not be emotional [about the U.S. withdrawal] and think, before mindlessly demanding that the [Americans] leave [Afghanistan]. We should be more thoughtful."
United States considers the Haqqani network and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizb-e-Islami group as the most serious threat to ISAF forces in Afghanistan. Washington has often accused Pakistan of not taking action against the Haqqani network in its lawless North Waziristan tribal region. The network's presence on Pakistani soil has contributed to tensions between Washington and Islamabad and bilateral relations have nose-dived in recent weeks. Washington has suspended $800 million in military assistance to Islamabad but the two sides are working behind the scenes to avoid a complete breakdown.
Musharraf believes Pakistan and the U.S. are critical allies. "It is extremely important that Pakistan and United States have good relations because we are fighting the war on terror together. Above all, it's an advantage to the Taliban and Al Qaeda if there is difference of opinion and there is no unity of thinking and action to fight them," Musharraf told his All Pakistan Muslim League Party supporters before the chat with the media.
He also made reference to U.S. demands that Pakistan take action against the Haqqani network on its soil and advised Islamabad to take Washington into confidence if a "national interest issue is involved" [for its inaction]. "We must tell the United we are handling the situation in our national interests. That [clarification] must be given, instead of not talking or hiding or distorting the [issue]; otherwise, confidence is lost."
When asked why he did not act against the Haqqani network while he was at the helm of the government in Pakistan, Musharraf countered he had initiated "huge" military operations against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, moving two Pakistan Army combat divisions from country's eastern border with India and deploying them in North and South Waziristan tribal regions. According to him, Al Qaeda was stronger than the Haqqani network back then and action was taken by the Pakistani military against all the insurgents.
Musharraf believes that Osama Bin Laden's presence near Pakistan's premier military academy in Abbottabad was an intelligence failure and not complicity of the country's intelligence establishment with Al Qaeda. He said the matter should be thoroughly investigated and the culprits punished.
Musharraf announced that he will end his exile on March 23, 2012 and his party will take part in the 2013 general elections in Pakistan.
Talking to Pakistani journalists after addressing his supporters in New York on July 17, Musharraf opposed the U.S. timeline for the Afghanistan withdrawal. "I always tell the [Americans] here not to make [the Afghan withdrawal] time-related. Make it effect-related. You must leave, but go after creating political stability in Afghanistan."
Musharraf ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008 both as a military chief executive and as president. He currently lives in London in self-exile and faces murder charges in Pakistan in the assassinations of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in 2007, and Nawab Akber Bugti, a nationalist leader and former governor of Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, who was killed in a military action on August 26, 2006. An Anti-Terrorism Court in Pakistan declared Musharraf an absconder in the Bhutto murder case in May of this year.
Musharraf vehemently denies the charges.
The former Pakistani general foresees two possible scenarios in Afghanistan if Washington withdraws its forces in 2014 without stabilizing the country.
"Number one: a return to the 1989 era when [the Soviets] left Afghanistan and Pashtoon, Tajik, Uzbek and Hazaras [the major ethnic groups in Afghanistan] started fighting against each other. They caused unbelievable destruction to their country. Kabul became a ghost city because it had pockets of each of the warring factions, just like in Beirut [during the Lebanese civil war]."
The second scenario, according to Musharraf, could be the return of the 1996 era when the [predominantly ethnic Pashtoon] Taliban came into power and fought against the Northern Alliance [comprised of Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara ethnic groups]. He feared renewed hostilities between these groups.
"I think since the Taliban are not monolithic, they are not commanded by a single commander. [Sirajuddin] Haqqani is a Taliban commander. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is also a Taliban commander. The TTP [Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan – an umbrella organization of Pakistani extremists closely aligned with the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda] is also Taliban. So they are not monolithic and I think that they will fight again."
Hekmatyar is a former prime minister of Afghanistan who fought against the Soviet Union during its occupation of his land-locked country. He is remembered chiefly for his role in the bloody civil war of the 1990s. He is currently wanted by the US for participating in terrorist activities with Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Musharraf believes instability in Afghanistan would have direct implications for Pakistan and even India, where Kashmiri groups, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, are fighting Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir. In the past, the groups' activities "were focused on [the Indian administered] Kashmir," he said, but now they are allied to the Taliban in Afghanistan and to extremists in India. "It's a huge problem and I think Bombay-like incidents may continue to happen" destabilizing the entire region.
He advised Pakistan to tread a careful course on the question of a possible U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. "We should not be emotional [about the U.S. withdrawal] and think, before mindlessly demanding that the [Americans] leave [Afghanistan]. We should be more thoughtful."
United States considers the Haqqani network and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizb-e-Islami group as the most serious threat to ISAF forces in Afghanistan. Washington has often accused Pakistan of not taking action against the Haqqani network in its lawless North Waziristan tribal region. The network's presence on Pakistani soil has contributed to tensions between Washington and Islamabad and bilateral relations have nose-dived in recent weeks. Washington has suspended $800 million in military assistance to Islamabad but the two sides are working behind the scenes to avoid a complete breakdown.
Musharraf believes Pakistan and the U.S. are critical allies. "It is extremely important that Pakistan and United States have good relations because we are fighting the war on terror together. Above all, it's an advantage to the Taliban and Al Qaeda if there is difference of opinion and there is no unity of thinking and action to fight them," Musharraf told his All Pakistan Muslim League Party supporters before the chat with the media.
He also made reference to U.S. demands that Pakistan take action against the Haqqani network on its soil and advised Islamabad to take Washington into confidence if a "national interest issue is involved" [for its inaction]. "We must tell the United we are handling the situation in our national interests. That [clarification] must be given, instead of not talking or hiding or distorting the [issue]; otherwise, confidence is lost."
When asked why he did not act against the Haqqani network while he was at the helm of the government in Pakistan, Musharraf countered he had initiated "huge" military operations against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, moving two Pakistan Army combat divisions from country's eastern border with India and deploying them in North and South Waziristan tribal regions. According to him, Al Qaeda was stronger than the Haqqani network back then and action was taken by the Pakistani military against all the insurgents.
Musharraf believes that Osama Bin Laden's presence near Pakistan's premier military academy in Abbottabad was an intelligence failure and not complicity of the country's intelligence establishment with Al Qaeda. He said the matter should be thoroughly investigated and the culprits punished.
Musharraf announced that he will end his exile on March 23, 2012 and his party will take part in the 2013 general elections in Pakistan.
