Afghan poll hopeful Ghani wants 'special relationship' with Pakistan

[Edevelop]

KABUL: Afghan presidential hopeful Ashraf Ghani says rapprochement with the Taliban’s old backers Pakistan, along the lines of France and Germany after World War II, is key to ending instability in his conflict-torn nation.

The race to succeed President Hamid Karzai has narrowed to a two-way fight between Ghani and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah following the release of early partial results on Sunday.

Former World Bank academic Ghani told AFP he wants to end years of suspicion and mistrust with Pakistan and forge a “special relationship” with the nuclear power.

There is lasting bitterness among many Afghans at Pakistani interference in their country – Islamabad historically supported groups in Afghanistan it regarded as favourable to its ends, including the Taliban during their 1996-2001 rule.

In an interview with AFP, Ghani said Afghanistan’s eastern neighbour had changed and a more harmonious relationship was critical for the region and the world.

“Pakistan is a different country. In the past, there was a distinction made between ‘Good Taliban’ and ‘Bad Taliban’,” he said, referring to Islamabad’s one-time backing of the militants in Afghanistan while clamping down on fighters at home.

But Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, elected in May 2013, “sees extremism as the fundamental challenge”, Ghani said.

“The goal is a special relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan that would resemble that of France and Germany after World War II,” he added.

Fresh start?

As well as backing the Taliban regime before its fall in a US-led invasion in 2001, Pakistan is still believed to be sheltering the group’s leadership.

Both countries frequently accuse each other of supporting cross-border terror attacks, and Ghani’s position would mark a departure from their presently sour ties.

It sounds like an ambitious task but Afghanistan has already proven pessimists wrong, he said.

With Nato winding down combat operations, security for the April 5 vote was in the hands of Afghan forces and the relative peace of polling day demonstrated they were up to the task of tackling the Taliban, he said.

“When we began the (security) transition, every foreign commentator and most of the domestic actors were saying this was madness and that we were going to collapse,” Ghani said.

“No, our security forces fully exonerated themselves. The nation and the security forces are now aligned.”

Close race

Abdullah is seen as a seasoned political operator with an easy common touch. He finished runner up in Karzai’s fraud-wracked 2009 re-election.

Ghani, who served as finance minister under Karzai, is renowned as an intellectual and counts reforming Afghanistan’s currency and setting up the succesful telecoms sector as evidence of his ability to devise and implement big ideas.

Trailing by only 21,751 votes out of the 506,843 votes counted so far, Ghani remains upbeat about his chances for emerging victor, stressing the people voted for a doer and not rhetoric.

To outside observers, there appears to be little to differentiate between Ghani and Abdullah’s policies.

Both want to sign a security pact with the United States that Karzai stalled on, reconciliation with the Taliban and constitutional changes that will create more leadership positions.

Ghani says the reason they sound similar is that he came up with the ideas.

“I’m delighted that we sound similar because a lot of the ideas have been mine since 2009,” he said.

“The acceptance of the discourse is a very big step towards coming together.”

The tone of reconciliation, echoing remarks Abdullah made on Sunday about Karzai, marks a significant change from the bitterness and acrimony that accompanied the 2009 election.

There have been allegations of fraud this time around but both leading candidates have said they will respect the complaints process.

A disputed, fractious result would risk weakening the new president as he faces taking on the Taliban without Nato combat help and strengthening the economy as foreign aid money dwindles.

Ghani left his homeland in 1977 to become a professor at leading US universities and later joined the World Bank, finally returning in 2001 following the Taliban’s fall.

He came second in a “world thinkers” poll by Prospect magazine last year but he stresses his man-of-the-people credentials, saying he has spent years travelling to every province and connecting with the people.

“The period of wonkishness is over. I arrived in this country having been away 24 years. And within six months I was moving the policy of this country,” he said.

Afghan poll hopeful Ghani wants ‘special relationship’ with Pakistan – The Express Tribune

 

[Leader]

All the best. we also want cordial relations with Afghanistan.

 

[k_arura]

KABUL: Afghan presidential hopeful Ashraf Ghani says rapprochement with the Taliban’s old backers Pakistan, along the lines of France and Germany after World War II, is key to ending instability in his conflict-torn nation.

The race to succeed President Hamid Karzai has narrowed to a two-way fight between Ghani and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah following the release of early partial results on Sunday.

Former World Bank academic Ghani told AFP he wants to end years of suspicion and mistrust with Pakistan and forge a “special relationship” with the nuclear power.

There is lasting bitterness among many Afghans at Pakistani interference in their country – Islamabad historically supported groups in Afghanistan it regarded as favourable to its ends, including the Taliban during their 1996-2001 rule.

In an interview with AFP, Ghani said Afghanistan’s eastern neighbour had changed and a more harmonious relationship was critical for the region and the world.

“Pakistan is a different country. In the past, there was a distinction made between ‘Good Taliban’ and ‘Bad Taliban’,” he said, referring to Islamabad’s one-time backing of the militants in Afghanistan while clamping down on fighters at home.

But Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, elected in May 2013, “sees extremism as the fundamental challenge”, Ghani said.

“The goal is a special relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan that would resemble that of France and Germany after World War II,” he added.

Fresh start?

As well as backing the Taliban regime before its fall in a US-led invasion in 2001, Pakistan is still believed to be sheltering the group’s leadership.

Both countries frequently accuse each other of supporting cross-border terror attacks, and Ghani’s position would mark a departure from their presently sour ties.

It sounds like an ambitious task but Afghanistan has already proven pessimists wrong, he said.

With Nato winding down combat operations, security for the April 5 vote was in the hands of Afghan forces and the relative peace of polling day demonstrated they were up to the task of tackling the Taliban, he said.

“When we began the (security) transition, every foreign commentator and most of the domestic actors were saying this was madness and that we were going to collapse,” Ghani said.

“No, our security forces fully exonerated themselves. The nation and the security forces are now aligned.”

Close race

Abdullah is seen as a seasoned political operator with an easy common touch. He finished runner up in Karzai’s fraud-wracked 2009 re-election.

Ghani, who served as finance minister under Karzai, is renowned as an intellectual and counts reforming Afghanistan’s currency and setting up the succesful telecoms sector as evidence of his ability to devise and implement big ideas.

Trailing by only 21,751 votes out of the 506,843 votes counted so far, Ghani remains upbeat about his chances for emerging victor, stressing the people voted for a doer and not rhetoric.

To outside observers, there appears to be little to differentiate between Ghani and Abdullah’s policies.

Both want to sign a security pact with the United States that Karzai stalled on, reconciliation with the Taliban and constitutional changes that will create more leadership positions.

Ghani says the reason they sound similar is that he came up with the ideas.

“I’m delighted that we sound similar because a lot of the ideas have been mine since 2009,” he said.

“The acceptance of the discourse is a very big step towards coming together.”

The tone of reconciliation, echoing remarks Abdullah made on Sunday about Karzai, marks a significant change from the bitterness and acrimony that accompanied the 2009 election.

There have been allegations of fraud this time around but both leading candidates have said they will respect the complaints process.

A disputed, fractious result would risk weakening the new president as he faces taking on the Taliban without Nato combat help and strengthening the economy as foreign aid money dwindles.

Ghani left his homeland in 1977 to become a professor at leading US universities and later joined the World Bank, finally returning in 2001 following the Taliban’s fall.

He came second in a “world thinkers” poll by Prospect magazine last year but he stresses his man-of-the-people credentials, saying he has spent years travelling to every province and connecting with the people.

“The period of wonkishness is over. I arrived in this country having been away 24 years. And within six months I was moving the policy of this country,” he said.

Afghan poll hopeful Ghani wants ‘special relationship’ with Pakistan – The Express Tribune

I doubt Pakistan has changed and much less the army which still rules the roast. Anyway I don't know what change means. Intentions can change overnight. But not geography. Afghanistan needs to become a "non-land-locked" country or at a minimum not be dependent on Pakistan for access to sea. That should be its strategic goal

 

[DRaisinHerald]

I doubt Pakistan has changed and much less the army which still rules the roast. Anyway I don't know what change means. Intentions can change overnight. But not geography. Afghanistan needs to become a "non-land-locked" country or at a minimum not be dependent on Pakistan for access to sea. That should be its strategic goal

Oh, very interesting. Perhaps India could lease Afghanistan some land if it's so worried. Then they can fly from Kabul directly to Mumbai and do their water-necessary business

 

[k_arura]

Oh, very interesting. Perhaps India could lease Afghanistan some land if it's so worried. Then they can fly from Kabul directly to Mumbai and do their water-necessary business

Can't speak for India but US has no land/sea to give them (don't go by my country flag since the admins here have deceptively altered it themselves and won't let me change it back to US). In any case since y'all are part of the same Ummah why don't you just donate them Balochistan! Just an innocent suggestion.

 

[Jzaib]

seems like a reasonable guy ... Pakistan has done so much for afghans .. but they are bloody unthankful people ..
The new president shouldnt be anti pakistan and Pakistan should not support anti afghan government groups .. but if he is anti Pakistan and helping our enemies to destabilize FATA and Baluchistan ....we should support the talibs

 

[AhsanAmin]

Pakistan must follow with similar emotion that Ghani has shown in his statements. We want to support every government elected by Afghan people on their own and do everything that brings stability and peace in the Afghan country. And trying to support factions that are against peace in Afghanistan is detrimental to Pakistan as well. We must work for stability in the whole region and this must be the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy. Pakistan must capitalize on this opportunity in which our Afghan brothers are trying to make up after a lot of bad blood.

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

Good move,afghanisthan should have good relations with all neighbours.This guy seems educated and reasonable.

 

[waz]

I doubt Pakistan has changed and much less the army which still rules the roast. Anyway I don't know what change means. Intentions can change overnight. But not geography. Afghanistan needs to become a "non-land-locked" country or at a minimum not be dependent on Pakistan for access to sea. That should be its strategic goal

You seemed very annoyed by what he said. We are their immediate big neighbour, we share cultural/ethnic/religious ties with them. If you have been watching various threads you will see Pakistan's involvement with the Taliban is on its final legs, especially since they have been helping the TTP (see thread in Pakistan's war section).

 

[American Pakistani]

Good to hear...Pakistan too want brotherly relations with Afghanistan.

This guy seems like a reasonable person.

 

[Pakistanisage]

Good to hear...Pakistan too want brotherly relations with Afghanistan.

This guy seems like a reasonable person.

That is so true Bro and he is highly educated and an economist so he understands the Geo-Strategic position of Pakistan.

He has a good chance of winning if there is a round two for presidential Elections.

Considering that he is a Pashtun, Hamid Karzai's Brother who got 10% to 15% vote will probably encourage his voters to vote for Ashraf Ghani. I certainly hope he wins and beats Abdullah Abdullah.

Although if Abdullah wins , Pakistan should make every effort to reach out to the Tajiks as well.

We have no reason to antagonize the Tajiks or Uzbeks.

 

[KingMamba]

@Afghan-India @Sher Malang

Good news , what are his chances and when will the results be official?

 

[Kompromat]

• Stop allowing India our archenemy to use Afghanistan as INS Ashoka along with its proxy terrorists.
• Make peace with the Pashtuns of Afghanistan and give them their demographic share in the power apparatus both political and military.
• Scrap strategic agreement with India and sign one with China instead.
• Allow Pakistani military machine to train Afghan military and arm it steadily
• Curb heroine production
• Develop a 20 year plan for repatriation of all refugees from Pakistan, withstanding development in Afghan economy.
• Do not pose us a threat from the west so we can keep pointing our daggers towards the east
• We will help Afghanistan economically and militarily, even extend the nuclear umbrella if our relations reach such a level.
• In the long run, we should have eased out border control, integrated economy, a single currency with two different govts like UAE has. Pakistan and Afghanistan's future WILL BE written on the same page, either by us or our enemies, the choice is for us to decide who gets to write the history, us or those who mean us harm.
• Pakistan and Afghanistan must understand that our feuds are a 'family matter', it needs to be sorted out that way.

 

[VCheng]

• Stop allowing India our archenemy to use Afghanistan as INS Ashoka along with its proxy terrorists.
• Make peace with the Pashtuns of Afghanistan and give them their demographic share in the power apparatus both political and military.
• Scrap strategic agreement with India and sign one with China instead.
• Allow Pakistani military machine to train Afghan military and arm it steadily
• Curb heroine production
• Develop a 20 year plan for repatriation of all refugees from Pakistan, withstanding development in Afghan economy.
• Do not pose us a threat from the west so we can keep pointing our daggers towards the east
• We will help Afghanistan economically and militarily, even extend the nuclear umbrella if our relations reach such a level.
• In the long run, we should have eased out border control, integrated economy, a single currency with two different govts like UAE has. Pakistan and Afghanistan's future WILL BE written on the same page, either by us or our enemies, the choice is for us to decide who gets to write the history, us or those who mean us harm.
• Pakistan and Afghanistan must understand that our feuds are a 'family matter', it needs to be sorted out that way.

That is quite a wish/demand list. Just how realistic is it?

 

[Kompromat]

That is quite a wish/demand list. Just how realistic is it?

Probably zilch. I am just trying to project what Mr Ghani's optimism can yield from our side. Afghanistan is inseparable from Pakistan and we would seek to take our relationship to the highest level if they cooperate.