Pakistan wants Muslim states’ troops in Afghanistan
By IANSThursday, January 13, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has proposed that a UN peacekeeping force drawn from “neutral Muslim countries” should take over Aghanistan’s security after US-led NATO forces pull out, a media report said here.
According to the Express Tribune, officials in Islamabad believe that the idea would pave the way for conditions under which all stakeholders in Afghanistan will come to the negotiations table for a political settlement of the nine-year-old war.
The US and its allies are scheduled to begin withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in July and have agreed to a transition plan that seeks handover of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces by 2014.
However, Pakistani officials say the proposed plan is unlikely to succeed as the Afghan National Army, which is being trained by US forces, is incapable of taking over the challenge.
The US is currently training 120,000 troops of the Afghan National Army. Pakistani officials believe the army does not proportionately represent ethnicities.
“Leaving security in their (Afghan National Army) hands would lead to more chaos,” a security official was quoted as saying. “Managing the security of Afghanistan is not a joke… the young and inexperienced Afghan forces cannot take on this responsibility at this stage.”
He said Pakistan is of the view that there should be a gradual transition in Afghanistan. “We have proposed a UN peacekeeping force taken from neutral Muslim countries to take over security in Afghanistan,” the official said.
Among probable countries, he listed Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh whose forces could be part of the proposed UN mission in Afghanistan as these states did not have any direct stake in the war-torn country.
