Shambolic polls

With Mr Karzai now elected by default and declared the winner of one of the most shambolic elections of modern times Afghanistan becomes that least palatable of dishes – a dog's breakfast. Unfortunately, we are by force of circumstance faced with the prospect of sampling this culinary flop by virtue of the fact that we live next door to the country where the said breakfast is on the menu. Nobody emerges smelling of roses from this farrago, and those who have tried to make it less of a mess have either resigned in frustration or been sacked for their temerity. Enter our own Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood QureshiShah Mehmood Qureshi; who has said last Sunday at a meeting of the Group of Eight Developing Islamic Countries (D8) in Kuala Lumpur that it is about time somebody consulted Pakistan about the messes left on our doorstep. The Americans are working on a 'new strategy' for Afghanistan; as well they might because the old one has worked no better than did the strategy of the Russians or indeed the British in the last two centuries. Everybody who goes to Afghanistan in an effort to either make sense of it or bring some order to institutionalized chaos comes away dragging their tails.

Mr Qureshi makes the very valid point that Pakistan knows quite a bit about the Afghan problem, having hosted several million Afghans over the last three decades. He said to Hilary Clinton…"we understand the area, we understand the tribes, we understand the local customs and traditions and our input might be useful for the Americans". Quite so, and rather better, if we may say so, than do the Americans or any of their allies. He urged that there be a synchronization of effort to stabilize Afghanistan, and that a coordinated surge of troops would have a reasonable chance of success whereas a mere escalation of troop numbers is unlikely to do anything other than pressure the militants into moving across into Pakistan. We did not create the dog's breakfast that is Afghanistan today and if America expects us to be part of clearing up the mess that they have in large part created then it needs to be more inclusive when it comes to creating future solutions.