De-militarise Kabul: Pak.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, NOV. 12. Close on the heels of the counsel by the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, and the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to the Northern Alliance to resist the temptation of capturing Kabul, the Pakistan Foreign Office today maintained that the best option was to `de-militarise' Kabul.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Mr. Aziz Khan, told correspondents that it would be ideal if Kabul was declared a neutral zone and placed under the control of the United Nations peace-keeping forces.

Of course Mr. Khan was replying to a specific question on the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan thanks to the relentless bombardment by the U.S.-led forces on the Taliban frontline positions and the consequent capture of territory by the Northern Alliance.

Behind the desire of the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman to have Kabul declared a neutral zone is the growing concern in Islamabad over the prospect of the Northern Alliance marching into Kabul and becoming the de facto rulers of Afghanistan.

Pakistan has serious differences with the various military commanders of the Northern Alliance. From the day the U.S. began its operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan has been urging America not to facilitate any particular group to capture Kabul. Islamabad's argument is that its experience when the Northern Alliance was in command of Kabul between 1992 to 1994 was not a happy one. ``It would be back to chaos and warlordism if the Northern Alliance were to gain control of Kabul''. This has been theme song of the Pakistan in the last several weeks.

Islamabad is averse to the idea of allowing the Northern Alliance take over Kabul for a number of reasons. The most important is that there is no love lost between Pakistan and the Northern Alliance. Islamabad sees it as a rag-tag of warlords aided and abetted by Russia, Iran, India and several other countries opposed to it.

Pakistan is convinced that the Northern Alliance represents only the minority groups and cannot rule Afghanistan. ``We believe that Kabul should be with an entity acceptable to all Afghanis. The process of an alternative political set-up in Kabul should be indigenous and represent all ethnic and demographic elements of Afghanistan''.

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Section  : International
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