Cover Story Interview 
 

Interview

‘The Taliban have softened their rhetoric on some issues.’

Ambassador (R) Syed Abrar Hussain talks to SouthAsia in this exclusive interview with Faizan Usmani.

September 2021


To bring lasting peace to Afghanistan, should the world recognise the Taliban government?
It’s always better to engage than to disengage. The recognition will help in bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan and relations with international community will persuade the Taliban government to respect global values. And especially when the world has failed to coerce them, it is better to have some sort of influence that can be helpful in persuading them. This can be done through diplomatic recognition, financial assistance, moral support, help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, bilateral and regional trade, etc.

Could the Taliban takeover spark all-out civil war in Afghanistan and a massive influx of refugees into Pakistani territory?
I don’t think so. To the contrary, had the Taliban not been able to capture Kabul and all other provinces so easily and peacefully, there would have been a prolonged civil war. In the current situation, we do expect influx of refugees into Pakistan but not a massive influx.

Is withdrawing U.S. security troops the right decision?
There was no other choice. After a loss of trillions of dollars and thousands of lives, the US had to withdraw its troops. It was unwise on the part of the Afghan government to think that the US troops would be there to support it indefinitely. In fact, after the Doha Agreement of 29 February 2020, the Ghani government could not see the writing on the wall. It had about 18 months to negotiate a peaceful settlement through an intra-Afghan dialogue with the Taliban. Unfortunately, it wasted a year and a half, arrogantly claiming to eliminate the Taliban within six months. It became clear within a few weeks that Ashraf Ghani’s decision to test the Taliban power on the battlefield was imprudent.


Are there similarities between what’s happening in Afghanistan now and the Vietnam War?
In a way, yes. In both cases the US could not win despite fighting for almost two decades, in Vietnam from 1955 to 1973 (extended to 1975) and in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021. In both cases, the guerrilla tactics of local fighters defeated a modern well-equipped army and war machine. The US exit from Afghanistan can be compared to the fall of Saigon in 1975.

What do you make of the Taliban’s promises? Would they be able to make Afghanistan a safe place for women, children and minorities?
It’s true that the Taliban have softened their rhetoric on some issues and there seems to be an evidence of real policy change in certain areas. They have allowed women to get education, work and take part in politics; they have permitted TV channels to continue to work; they have promised to respect human rights, women rights, etc., and they are negotiating for an inclusive government. So, there is a sea-change in their approach. However, we have to wait and see if this transformation in the Taliban is ideological or tactical. Let’s hope its not only for optics.

What will happen now when the Taliban are back in charge? What are the rules the Taliban want to enforce?
They have already said that they will enforce Shariah. However, this time their interpretation of Shariah doesn’t seem to be as conservative as it was two decades ago. Besides, Afghan cultural values are also expected to influence their code of conduct.

About Syed Abrar Hussain
Syed Abrar Hussain is a senior diplomat, author and former Special Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a period spanning over thirty-five years, he served in Kuwait (1987-1989), Jeddah (1993-1995), Prague (1995-1997), Kandahar (1999-2001), Beirut (2001-2002) and Brunei (2005-2006) in various capacities. He was Pakistan’s Ambassador to Nepal (2008-2011), Kuwait (2013-2014), and Afghanistan. He first served as a Consul General in Kandahar during the Taliban regime (1999-2001). Thirteen years later, he was appointed as Ambassador of Pakistan in Kabul in 2014. He retired as a Special Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 2018. He has written three books: a book on prosody, a collection of his Urdu poetry and a book on Afghanistan titled ‘Afghanistan: Mullah Omar Se Ashraf Ghani Tak’, which was published last year.

Post-U.S. withdrawal, how will the India-Pakistan security dilemma affect the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship?
With the Taliban coming to power in Afghanistan, most of the RAW agents have fled to India and, as of now, they are unable to use Afghan soil for anti-Pakistan moves. So, efforts to de-stabilize Pakistan through terrorist activities via Afghanistan will, hopefully, come to an end. This phenomenon is going to give a boost to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. Moreover, in the absence of Indian advisers in the new Afghan government, it’s expected that Kabul will now cooperate with Pakistan and respond positively to our friendly gestures.

After the Taliban takeover, what are the complications and security challenges for Pakistan?
Pakistan may face some security challenges but not as many as it had after 9/11. If there is a stable government in Afghanistan which has full control over all parts of the country, especially areas bordering Pakistan, we’ll have less complications and security threats. The Taliban have been assuring all their neigbours that they will not allow Afghan soil to be used against any other country.

How is the Tehrik-I-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) different from the Afghan Taliban? Will they be still as active as before?
Primarily, their political ambitions are different. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) agenda is restricted to Afghanistan; they want to establish an Islamic government in their own country; they have support of their own countrymen as well as sympathies of most of the regional countries, except India. On the other hand, TTP tries to destabilize Pakistani areas with the help of anti-Pakistan elements, RAW and NDS. Some people in Pakistan fear that TTP and TTA are ideologically the same and the former may join the latter. If it happens, it will mean dismantling of the TTP and not change in the political agenda of TTA. Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban have asked the TTP recently to stop its activities against Pakistan.

What must be done by Pakistan to safeguard its interests first?
It is obvious that Pakistan will safeguard its own interests first before doing anything for the US or Taliban or anyone else. Facilitating peace and stability in Afghanistan is in our own interest. A peaceful Afghanistan directly and indirectly helps us in so many ways: it means less security concerns, more bilateral and regional trade, easy access to Central Asia, completion of regional economic projects, etc. Secondly, we need to have friendly relations with the Kabul government. Thirdly, we should take other neighbours of Afghanistan (China, Iran, CARs) into confidence about our Afghan policy and try to address their concerns, if any. Fourthly, we should continue to help the Afghan people through economic assistance in the form of projects in various sectors, scholarship to Afghan students, and training for their professionals, etc.

What role are the external forces likely to play in shaping security trends inside Afghanistan?
This is yet to be seen. As the Taliban have promised to have good relations with all countries and also to have an inclusive government, there is less chance of proxies in Afghanistan. The regional countries want peace which in turn will benefit them in their economic projects. Their economic rivals in the West, however, may not like it and may try to create some problems. But it is too early to predict anything.

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