Thursday, 29 July, 2021 I 18 Zil-Hajj, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 28 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
‘US really meSSed it Up’: imran khan on afghaniStan SitUation ISLAMABAD
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Staff RepoRt
s the United states nears the completion of its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, its longest war, Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated Tuesday that a political settlement to the conflict would have been a pragmatic choice but the American insistence on the use of force “really messed it up” in the warbattered country. The conflict in Afghanistan, which dates back to the invasion that followed the 2001 al-Qaeda attacks on the Us, is at an end. In April, President Joe Biden said foreign troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by september 11 — exactly 20 years after the attacks — rejecting calls for them to stay to ensure a peaceful resolution to that nation’s grinding internal conflict. The prime minister, in an interview with Judy Woodruff for PBs NewsHour, an American news programme that aired early Wednesday morning, repeated there was “no other outcome because the military solution has failed” in Afghanistan. “so, the Taliban sit down with the other side and they form an inclusive
government […] This is the best outcome,” he said At the outset, Woodruff asked the prime minister about his assessment of the situation in Afghanistan as the Us completes the withdrawal. “Well, Judy, I think the Us has really messed it up in Afghanistan,” he responded. The Us for two decades was trying to force a military solution, he said, adding “the reason why we are in this position now is because the military solution failed.” “Now, what choices have we got? The best choice is that somehow we have a political settlement in Afghanistan where it is, as I repeat, an inclusive government.” After suffering huge human and material losses while participating in the Us war against terrorism, the prime minister made it clear that “We want to be partners in peace, but not in conflict.” Imran said when, in the initial years following the Us invasion, he raised his voice against the military adventure, he was dubbed as “anti-American” and called “Taliban Khan”. “so, when they finally decided that there is no military solution, unfortunately, the bargaining power of the Americans or the NATO forces had
gone,” he said, adding: “When there were 150,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan, that was the time to go for a political solution.” “But once they had reduced the troops to barely 10,000, and then when they gave an exit date, the Taliban thought they had won. And so, therefore, it was very difficult for now to get them to compromise. It’s very difficult to force them into a political solution, because they think that they won.” The only good outcome for Afghanistan, the prime minister said, was a political settlement that is inclusive, so they form some sort of a government that includes all sorts of different factions there. “The worst situation in Afghanistan would be if there’s a civil war and a protracted civil war. And from Pakistan’s point of view, that is the worstcase scenario, because we then we face two scenarios, one, a refugee problem.” With three million Afghan refugees already residing in Pakistan, Imran said a protracted civil war would bring in more refugees. “Our economic situation is not such that we can have another influx,” he cautioned.
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Two killed as cloudburst triggers urban flooding in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
A mother and her son were killed in Islamabad on Wednesday as several neighbourhoods of the capital experienced urban flooding after a cloudburst caused heavy rainfall. Footage circulating on social media showed flood water sweeping away cars in sectors E-11 and D-12. Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza shafqaat attributed the flash flood to a cloudburst and urged the public to “cooperate and restrict unnecessary movements”. shafqaat further said the spillways of Rawal Dam were being opened as he appealed to the public to stay away from the riverbanks of the Korang and soan rivers. senior officials blamed the flooding on “poor management,” stressing that the Capital Development Authority was not responsible for E-11, which is part of a private housing society. In a statement, Pakistans Meteorological Department said Islamabad and its surrounding areas had received a “heavy
downpour of monsoon rainfall” between 5:00 am and 6:30 am. It said that a minimum of 15 millimetres and a maximum of 123 millimetres of rainfall had been recorded. Troops have been deployed in Rawalpindi after the local government sought the military’s help following incessant rains that triggered a high flood in Nullah Lai. section 144 (power to issue order absolute at once in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) was imposed on bathing in rivers, the deputy commissioner said, adding that rescue and management teams were present to handle the situation. PM puts NDMA on high alert: Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the situation and cautioned citizens to take “special care” due to the heavy monsoon rains. “I have also directed all the relevant response agencies including [the] NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) to be on high alert with ready and rapid emergency response actions.,” he tweeted.
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