<p>At last Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf had to attend the Joint Peace Jirga (Council) in Kabul which ended Sunday. In fact, the last day of the three day Jirga was Saturday, but it was extended for one more day to give a chance to Gen. Musharraf to attend it. Many believe that he was forced to join the Peace Jirga.</p>
<p>A total of 650 members from both sides are participating in the Jirga. They discussed terrorism, extremism, security and related issues and declared terrorism and narcotics a big threat to peace and stability. The idea of this Joint Jirga was proposed by President Hamid Karzai in a meeting with President George W. Bush and President Gen. Musharraf last September.</p>
<p>The background of this gathering is clear. Terrorism is a grave threat to the world security and both Afghanistan and Pakistan are suffering it badly for past few years. To eliminate terrorism and extremism in these two countries is a difficult task because the terrorists and extremists have a lot of supporters not only from common people but also in the government institutions. The worst problem is that these terrorists and extremists are the creation of those institutions who are now forced to crush them.</p>
<p>During Afghan Jihad, CIA, ISI and other intelligence agencies were fully backing Islamic extremists who were fighting Russians in Afghnistan with modern American and European weapons. They were given unlimited and uncountable money and weapons. When U.S. defeated Soviet Union, it left Afghanistan in the hand of these extremists and went to celebrate its victory.</p>
<p>This was a chance for Pakistan’s ISI to get control of the extremists and establish a puppet government in Kabul. The Taliban are the invention of those efforts.</p>
<p>After 9/11, the situation changed as well as policies took U-turn. Pakistan also changed its path and become front-line ally in the war against terror. The same Pakistan was front-line ally in training Islamic extremists against Russians for 20 years. Naseerullah Babar, foreign minister of Pakistan during the Taliban era had said that the Taliban were his children. So it was the most difficult thing for Pakistan to kill his own ‘children’, but you know dollar is dollar. Billions of dollars forced Gen. Musharraf to raise a war against extremists. Analysts think that these dollars have deep role in the growing Talibanisation. Those institutions who are appointed to combat terrorism are involved in training them to get more dollars.</p>
<p>So, despite being front-line ally in the war against terror, it is internationally believed that Pakistan is a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and Taliban. The reason behind this belief is involvement of madrassahs and some government organisations; especially ISI in backing the Taliban. The growing Talibanisation in tribal areas and North West Frontier province gave a confirmation to the belief. And Afghan officials always complained that the terrorists use Pakistani territory for attacking on Afghan and NATO forces.</p>
<p>These facts compelled all the three parties to hold a peace Jirga to find a solid solution to the worsening situation. But when some over 60 members of the Pakistani side, who were from tribal areas, refused to attend the Jirga, and President Musharraf also ‘engaged himself in other duties’ in the last minute, it disappointed America and the Afghan side of the Jirga. Besides this, the Afghan members felt that Pakistan had not prepared properly for the Jirga. It was true. Pakistan was really not interested to discuss or solve the problem, it was forced to join the Jirga as a Pakistani journalist, Saleem Safi, who has attended the Jirga, wrote in his column one day before it opened, "It is the world’s only Jirga that we (Pakistan) are forced to take part in. We can’t call it a Jirga. I am a member of it and I am attending it only to visit Kabul and meet Afghan officials." (Daily Mashriq Peshawar, August 8, 2007)</p>
<p>But Afghan and American officials wanted to make the Jirga a success and they at last ‘forced’ Musharraft to attend it. Now he will attend the Sunday session.</p>
<p>The question is: only Pakistan’s forced attendance will make the Jirga a success?</p>
<p>I think without Pakistan’s willingness to solve the problem, it will be a waste of time and money to hold this kind of useless jirgas. The solution is only possible when Pakistan also want to get rid of terrorism. When Pakistan denies the claims that the terrorists are using its territory for terror activities and attacks, how will it help in solving the problem?</p>
<p>And a Jirga must be a Jirga not a gathering of bloody warlords, irrelevant government authorities and spurious journalists.</p>
<p>Terrorism Must Be Defeated, Declares Peace Jirga</p>
<p>The joint declaration of the four-day Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Peace Jirga strongly recognizes on the fact that terrorism is a common threat to both countries and the war on terror should continue to be an integral part of the national policies and security strategies.</p>
<p>The participants of the jirga unanimously declared to an extended, tireless and persistent campaign against terrorism, pledging that the government and the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan will not allow sanctuaries and training centers for terrorists in their respective countries.</p>
<p>The Joint Peace Jirga resolved to constitute a smaller jirga consisting of 25 prominent members from each side mandated to strive for expediting the ongoing process of dialogue for peace and reconciliation with opposition. The smaller jirga would hold regular meetings in order to monitor and oversee the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the Joint Peace Jirga and plan and facilitate convening of the next Joint Peace Jirgas.</p>
<p>Both countries will appoint 25 members each in the committee, the declaration said.</p>
<p>The Joint Peace Jirga once again emphasized the vital importance of brotherly relations in pursuance of policies of mutual respect, non-interference and peaceful co-existence and recommended further expansion of economic, social, and cultural relations between the two neighbors.</p>
<p>Members of the Joint Peace Jirga in taking cognizance of the nexus between narcotics and terrorism condemned the cultivation, processing and trafficking of poppy and other illicit substances and called upon the two governments to wage an all-out war against this menace.</p>
<p>The Jirga took note of the responsibilities of the international community in enabling Afghanistan to provide alternative livelihood to the farmers. The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan with the support of the international community should implement infrastructure, economic and social sector projects in the affected areas, the declaration said.</p>
<p>Afghan-Pak Joint Peace Jirga was convened in Kabul from August 9 to August 12 as a result of the initiative taken by the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan on September 27, 2006 to reaffirm and further strengthen the resolve of two brotherly countries to bring sustainable peace in the region.</p>
<p>It was the first historic event of its kind that opened a channel of people to people dialogue in which around 700 people including members of the parliaments, political parties, religious scholars, tribal elders, provincial councils, civil society and business community of both countries participated.</p>
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