Hizb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
In a recent interview with a Pakistani newspaper, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the fugitive chief of the militant group Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan, has accused Pakistan of pursuing pro-U.S policies in the region, thereby alienating the Taliban and other militant groups. Hekmatyar's statement comes after it emerged that the U.S. has enlisted Pakistan to find a negotiated political settlement to end the Afghan conflict.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizb-e-Islami is the second largest militant group in Afghanistan (after the Taliban), and works alongside the Taliban and Al-Qaeda there. In the interview, Hekmatyar said that lasting peace is only possible if the U.S. agrees to end the occupation of Afghanistan, but also said that his organization is willing to facilitate the exit of foreign troops.
It should be noted that Hizb-e-Islami is the only armed group that has publicly held peace negotiations with the Karzai government. From the interview, it also emerges that Hekmatyar's representatives may also have held meetings with U.S. officials.
Following are excerpts from the interview:[1]
"In Its Quest for U.S. Favors, Pakistan has Alienated the Afghan People and Mujahideen; Now Islamabad Cannot Play Any Role in Stabilizing Afghanistan and Restoring Peace"
In the interview, Hekmatyar accused Pakistan of taking "impulsive" pro-U.S. actions such as supporting the U.S. to dislodge the Taliban government in 2001, and stated:
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"In its quest for U.S. favors, Pakistan has alienated the Afghan people and mujahideen. Now Islamabad cannot play any role in stabilizing Afghanistan and restoring peace there… Its controversial policies have antagonized its own people…
"Today, Afghanistan has become the hub of anti-Pakistan forces… [leading to the emergence of small groups] And these groups have the backing of India, Russia and Iran…."
According to the report, Hekmatyar also said that Al-Qaeda has now shifted its base to Iraq, Libya, and Somalia under the command of Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and added:
"Bin Laden's martyrdom was a huge loss. But today Al-Qaeda has become such a strong organization that it can not be weakened.…"
"If the U.S. is Willing, We can Offer Them an Honorable Exit from Afghanistan"
Regarding Hizb-e-Islami's meetings with Afghan and U.S. officials, Hekmatyar said: "We conveyed [to] them our preconditions (for talks) and proposals for durable peace in Afghanistan… If the U.S. is willing, we can offer them an honorable exit from Afghanistan."
Accusing the U.S. of imposing a "small group" of Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Hazaras on Afghanistan's majority Pashtuns, he said: "This group hasn't been able to establish its writ on a small part of Afghanistan, even with 150,000 foreign troops on the ground…."
Regarding "some local and foreign elements" sabotaging efforts to unite militant groups, he said: "In the past, these forces pitted the Taliban and Hizb-e-Islami against each other. And now they are again conspiring to sow discord among them…"
On the prospects of peace in Afghanistan following the assassination of former Afghan president and chief of the High Peace Council, Burhanuddin Rabbani, he said: "Neither did the High Peace Council have a mandate nor was Ustad Rabbani capable of brokering peace with the insurgents….
"Lasting peace is possible only if foreign forces end the occupation of Afghanistan and withdraw their troops."
Endnote:
[1] The Express Tribune (Pakistan), November 2, 2011. The text of the interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
