Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai spoke to The Sunday Guardian. Excerpts:
ON EXPECTATIONS FROM PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Plenty… My advice to him (President Donald Trump) would be to do an in depth analysis of what is going on in Afghanistan. Must also consult deeply with the regional countries, those who have concerns about the situation in Afghanistan, concerns about the rise of new forms of extremism in the region, namely Daesh (ISIS). It’s time for the US and for the Indian government to think deeper and go back to the drawing board.
ON ADVICE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: We know that heavy handed military action in Afghanistan did not bring the desired result, rather it caused massive alienation of the Afghan people and suffering to the Afghans and to the Americans. Hoping towards change in Pakistani behaviour towards Afghanistan or policies on the whole did not bring them what they were seeking. Pakistan continued to do what it wanted. On both these fronts the US must change track. One, begin to help Afghanistan in reconstruction, in improvement of the economy of Afghanistan rather than wasting resources on military action in Afghanistan. They should start looking at Afghanistan as a place where they can invest and earn from.
Secondly, on Pakistan, they must be very clear that a country that they call ally must become an ally and follow the same objectives. You cannot be allies and yet walk in two different directions…one seeking an end to extremism and the other, promoting extremism.
ON REPORTS OF PAK USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON PASHTUNS: There is no doubt that they have those weapons, but whether they have used it or not, I don’t know. I have never heard of a thing like this before, but this is something we must go and look at more deeply.
ON ISI LINKS TO KANPUR RAIL TRAGEDY: So it was sabotage rather than accident. Our experience in Afghanistan shows that they (ISI) are quite capable of doing things like that. Here, if this is the case then it is condemnable in the strongest possible way. One of the most important common causes that we have between our two countries, Afghanistan and India, is the question of extremism, using religion and exploiting religious sentiments towards radicalism and that unfortunately is done in Pakistan… That has to change.
ON CHINA’S REFUSAL TO CALL MASOOD AZHAR A TERRORIST: China is a very close friend of Afghanistan. I know that China knows what is going on in Pakistan. China suffers itself from extremism and terrorism. We have had conversations with India on how to curb it, where inevitably the name of Pakistan comes up. The same is with China. We talk to them and this name comes up inevitably and very often. Now what happened in the UN I am not privy to, but certainly someone like Masood Azhar is a bad element and we should join hands in naming him what he is.
ON EXPECTATIONS FROM INDIA, US ON MORE MILITARY SUPPORT: I spoke about the United States. India is a tremendous friend. India has been a kind friend. A country that has been at the forefront. A country that went beyond its means to help Afghanistan. There are thousands of educated youth that have been trained in India…the development projects, the schools, the dams… India is a good buddy! And we like it very much and we are thankful.