KABUL (Pajhwok): Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has urged the United States to expand its engagement with Afghanistan, saying this would serve Washington’s geopolitical interests.
Khalilzad also said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) had demonstrated greater-than-expected capability in areas including infrastructure development, agricultural support and regional diplomacy.
In a post on X, Khalilzad said The National News of the United Arab Emirates had asked him three questions about Afghanistan five years after the IEA returned to power.
The first question was what it would take to bring Afghanistan back into the international fold and improve ties with the US.
Khalilzad said Afghanistan should first address US concerns over American citizens who remain in detention, describing the issue as an obstacle that needed to be removed.
He also called on Washington to increase and broaden its engagement with Afghanistan in pursuit of its own geopolitical interests.
“Turning our backs on Afghanistan and limiting engagement to a minimum is, at best, a mistake for many reasons. It creates a vacuum in a strategically important location that our adversaries are only too happy to fill. It gives opportunities to terrorists. And it hurts ordinary Afghans, who have suffered enough from decades of chaos and turmoil and need normalcy and peace more than anything else,” he wrote.
Current challenges
Asked about Afghanistan’s current challenges, Khalilzad first referred to the fate of three US citizens whom he said were “either still detained or missing”.
He said more information was needed about their cases and that a clear mechanism should be established for dealing with such situations.
He identified another challenge as lingering disappointment and anger over the way the United States’ 20-year investment and mission in Afghanistan ended.
Addressing this issue, he said, would take time and require a willingness to confront realities — not only those of the past and present, but also America’s future interests.
Khalilzad also said some policies of the IEA leadership had hindered efforts to address existing challenges, citing restrictions on girls’ education as an example.
“Better than many expected”
Asked whether he had imagined five years ago that the IEA would govern Afghanistan in its current manner, Khalilzad replied: “No. The situation is different. In some respects, conditions are better than many people expected.”
He said there had been widespread fears that the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan would become much more severe and that internal security would deteriorate.
Many had also expected Afghanistan’s economy and financial system to collapse after the end of large-scale foreign assistance, he said.
Khalilzad added: “Surprisingly, the Taliban have demonstrated greater competence than expected in some areas — for example, infrastructure development, support for agriculture and regional diplomacy, particularly with Central Asia and especially Uzbekistan.”
At the same time, he said the sharp deterioration in relations with Pakistan, Islamabad’s growing hostility and its return to previous policies had not been anticipated.
He alleged that Islamabad had returned to policies including providing sanctuary to “enemies of the established government of Afghanistan” in order to fuel instability.
The former US special representative concluded: “Ultimately, the prolonged political transition, without a clear roadmap for both its substance and the process of adopting a permanent constitution and political system, is deeply disappointing.”
kk/sa
