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Afghans demand withdrawal of NATO and US troops

PESHAWAR: The American and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) troops should leave Afghanistan because they are responsible for creating unrest in the country, Afghan leaders said on Monday.

“The real factor behind the unending war and instability in Afghanistan is the presence of foreign troops. They must leave the country and let Afghans establish a government of their choice,” said Afghan representatives at a one-day seminar entitled, ‘The Afghan imbroglio: problems and the way to peace’. Former jihadi commanders, political leaders, religious scholars, intellectuals, tribal elders and those who have served in previous Afghan governments attended the seminar. A joint declaration released at the conclusion of the seminar demanded the foreign troops leave Afghanistan, and urged them to stop unwarranted search operations, which often resulted in the killing of civilians.

The declaration also favoured a dialogue among all Afghan groups and factions to put an end to fighting in the strife-torn country. It also called upon the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to play its due role in bringing peace to Afghanistan. Commenting on the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, the participants of the seminar said billion of dollars were being wasted in the name of rebuilding “but there is nothing visible on the ground as more than 80 percent of population is still living below the poverty line”.

Muhammad Zaman Muzammil, the organiser of the seminar and former member of the executive council of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), said the “Western style of democracy” was not going to serve the purpose in Afghanistan. Lamenting the failure of foreign troops and the Afghan government in restoring peace, Muzammil said the number of military operations had mounted to 4,500 in 2007 compared to 150 in 2001. He said the Karzai-led government was seeking help from foreigners instead of its own people, and that the Afghan imbroglio was not only posing threat to the country but also to Pakistan, Iran and other countries in the region.

Former Afghan premier Abdul Samad Hamid and Rostar Taraki spoke via telephone from London and France respectively, and also called for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. Zaman Muzammil told Daily Times after the seminar that such events would also be organised in Kabul and other countries. daud khattak

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