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Pakistan's Former Foreign Secretary on US Military Action in Afghanistan
The US-led military operations against the Afghan Taliban regime are hampering international community's efforts to resolve the Afghan crisis through political means, said Pakistan's former foreign secretary Najamuddin Sheikh.
Speaking in a Pakistan TV program on Wednesday, he said the U.S. -led coalition against terrorism took military, political, diplomatic and humanitarian initiatives to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan.
However, he said, the military operations are affecting the political and humanitarian aspects of the plan.
He supported the view shared by many that the United States should halt its military operations to create more space for achievement of humanitarian and political objectives.
Referring to the two-day conference called by Afghan Islamic leader Syed Ahmed Gillani in Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province, he said this kind of initiative was badly needed as Washington's patience is running out.
Najam said military operations can end in Afghanistan with the early removal of Taliban, "If the new political dispensation is not formed, the military campaign will continue unabated."
"Any political process in Afghanistan is going to take time," he added.
Commenting on the humanitarian situation, he said according to the U.N. estimates, seven million people in Afghanistan are desperate for food.
He said there is a need to ship 6,000 tons of food every day into Afghanistan before the onset of harsh winter when it would be impossible to send any humanitarian assistance.
At present, despite its best efforts the U.N. is only able to send 1,600 tons of wheat every day.
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