AVA- Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai on Thursday called for Loya Jirga (grand assembly) as he slammed new strategy announced by the United States on Afghanistan.
Karzai claimed that the war on terrorism in Afghanistan ended soon after it began in 2001 and that it benefits only outsiders.
“I oppose Trump’s strategy on Afghanistan because it focuses war,” Karzai said at a press conference in Kabul.
On the strategy’s aspect of pressuring Pakistan to tackle militant sanctuaries, Karzai claimed that it is not the first time that Pakistan is pinpointed by the U.S.
He said that countries in the region, including Russia, were supportive of U.S. presence in Afghanistan previously, but “in the last four to five years, they have taken different attitude due to Daesh .”
Karzai questioned U.S. as it cited claims that foreign helicopters were seen supporting IS in Afghanistan.
According to Karzai, U.S. is engaged in a rivalry with other powers in Afghanistan.
“We don’t want to be trampled by rivalry between U.S. and its rivals,” Karzai said calling on U.S. to cooperate with regional countries on Afghan peace and on Taliban to stop fighting.
He called on U.S. to respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
“I want to live in my country, it is my home… I must have my own country,” he said.
Hamid Karzai reiterated his stance regarding the controversial Durand Line separating Afghanistan and Pakistan, insisting that he has never and will never accept the line as the formal border between the two nations.
Karzai said we want good relations and friendship with Pakistan but the Afghan nation will never accept Durand Line as the formal border.
In other parts of his speech, Karzai said such claims are baseless and are not true that twenty terrorist groups are operating in Afghanistan.
However, he expressed concerns regarding the deployment of ISIS fighters by alien helicopters.
