A Talk by Eng. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

Only a sovereign Afghan government can avert another civil war after US withdrawal:  Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

The
only durable solution for peace in Afghanistan is that the US should withdraw
its troops and a non-aligned, independent and sovereign government should be
formed by Afghans in light of their beliefs and traditions without any
interference; otherwise the country would slither into another civil war,
warned veteran Afghan politician and Hizb-e-Islami’s supreme leader Eng.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

He
was addressing a large number of foreign policy analysts, practitioners and
journalists at his exclusive talk organized by Institute of Policy Studies,
Islamabad, on October 21, 2020, at the conclusion of his three-day official
visit to Pakistan on the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on
Wednesday.

The
forum was chaired by Executive President IPS Khalid Rahman and moderated by
Ambassador (r) Syed Abrar Hussain. Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan
Ambassador (r) Muhammad Sadiq was also present on the occasion.

Hekmatyar
said Afghans invested about $20 billion in other countries including Turkey and
the Gulf states during the war. He suggested that Pakistan should facilitate
Afghan investors and businessmen thus enabling them to bring their investment
to Pakistan. The facilities he termed essential in this regard include
permission to open bank accounts, buy property on the basis of Afghan passports
and long-term visas like those provided by certain European countries.

The
Afghan leader, who met the top-level leadership during his three-day visit to
Pakistan, said he had held talks with Pakistani officials in this regard and
was hopeful that it would be implemented soon.

Hekmatyar,
who has twice served as Afghan prime minister in the 1990s, said it was the
requirement of justice that those who have sacrificed for Afghanistan for so
many years should have the right to govern the country now.

Afghan
groups should have the opportunity to enter into negotiations with each other
at a neutral venue. The discussion agenda would be withdrawal of the US from
Afghanistan and an independent sovereign government. The other national issues
such as constitution and type of government should be left for later after
peace is restored. These are national issues and no external forces have the
right to decide about these matters, he said.

He
said the US has been defeated in Afghanistan without achieving any goals and
considers the corrupt and incompetent Kabul government the main reason for its
failure. It will be a mistake if the US now adopts another policy other than
leaving Afghanistan, he added.

Hekmatyar
said unfortunately some countries think a gap will be created once the US
leaves Afghanistan which they will be able to fill. He hoped the Americans will
not repeat the deadly mistake of the Soviets who established their puppet
government in Kabul before leaving Afghanistan.

He
warned rival countries against transferring their hostilities to Afghan soil.
Afghanistan should not be used by the US against Russia, by India against
Pakistan, and by Iran against Saudi Arabia, etc, he added.

He
said India and Iran are also supporting Ashraf Ghani’s government, which is
surprising as it is weak. The continuation of war in Afghanistan is not in
anyone’s favor, including India. The reason behind India’s support of the
current Afghan government could be Kashmir, he said, adding that India must not
transfer their Kashmir war to Afghanistan.

Hekmatyar
said his group supports the US-Taliban agreement although they have their own
observations and reservations about the process and also want to be part of the
negotiations. However, it contains the vital point that the US will leave
Afghanistan, though its timeframe could have been reduced. He said the majority
of political parties are not supporting the Afghan government’s stand on the
peace process. The current government in Kabul is not ready to enter into
negotiations with all political parties.

Hekmatyar
said negotiations will start between Hizb-e-Islami and Taliban with the aim to
make the peace durable and lasting. Peace is not achievable without bringing
every stakeholder on board.

He
said Pakistan helped the US in Afghanistan but the Americans still preferred
India over Pakistan. This is because superpowers have their own designs and
they do things as per their own interests.

Hekmatyar
said his visit to Pakistan comes at a time when the Afghan peace negotiation
process is at a critical stage. His impression was that Pakistan is keen for an
Afghan-owned peace process in Afghanistan. He said the Pakistani officials have
assured that all mutual problems will be solved gradually through mutual
understanding. He was realistic that the peace process would not have been
possible without the support of Pakistan.

Earlier
Khalid Rahman, in his introductory speech, said that Gulbuddin was one the
first leaders to offer resistance to the Soviets in the 1980s. He played a very
important role in Afghanistan ranging from the battlefield to politics. He
stressed that those who wish to see peace in Afghanistan must come together,
terming it a healthy sign that Pakistan and Afghan leaders are beginning to
engage in productive talks.