The city is linked by road to Kabul province in the south-east, Herat to the west and Uzbekistan to the north. The city is a major tourist attraction because of its famous Muslim and Hellenistic archaeological sites. The spoken language in Marzar-e-Sharif is mostly Dari, Uzbaki and Turkmani.
According to tradition, Mazar-e-Sharif city owes its existence to a dream. At the beginning of the 1100s, a local mullah had a dream that Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib, Our Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) cousin and son-in-law as well as one of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs appeared to reveal that he had been secretly buried near the city of Balkh. After the research and investigation, the Sultan Sanjar Seljuki which he was the sultan of the Great Seljuq Empire from 1118 to 1153 and the ruler of most of Persia (Parsyaan) with his capital at Nishapur ordered to build a shrine on the spot, where it stood until now.
It’s worth to mention that the actual grave or shrine of Hazrat Ali (RA) is in Najaf Iraq next to Kufa where he was martyred. During the Soviet invasion, Mazar-e-Sharif city was a strategic base for the Soviet Army, as they used its airport to launch air strikes on Afghan Mujahideen in late 1980s. In the early 1990s, after the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, control of Mazar was contested by the Tajik militias as (Jameyat-e Islami) or Islamic United by Ahmad Shah Massoud and Burhanuddin Rabbani, and the Uzbek militia (Junbesh-e Melli) or National Movement which was led by Abdul Rashid Dostum. Balkh is a strategic province Afghanistan, almost bordering Uzbekistan, a door for highway which connects Central Asian Republics.
In post US forces-phased withdrawal more than any other power the United States will prefer to keep its foot-hold and India will keep chasing for a toe-hold for the land trade keeps going through Pakistan and Pashtun tribes of Afghanistan. For Americans peace in Afghanistan appears inevitable for numerous reasons but the best reason would be financial constraint. An Obama-hater friend of mine Denise Sullivan Sutton, whom I call Bhindee, often calls from Oregon, yelling, ”Azhar our debt is in trillions Jesus”.
Sullivan’s hatred against President Obama is just reflective in her latest comment,” Our economy does not work due to our elected officials blow our money on illegal freaking immigration folks.. Do the work for less.. Do I need to bitch slab some people here”.
White Americans with Republican ancestry not only look down at present US President but call him an immigrant. Though all the Americans are immigrants, but the Anglo-Saxon arrogance has neither accepted Obama as the US president nor an American, also hold him responsible for all the financial difficulties an ordinary US citizen is facing with. For the United States peace has become inevitable in Afghanistan.
Invisible efforts for peace have been initiated by the key players mainly the United States, Afghanistan itself, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It is quite understandable when a night before President Asif Ali Zardari, undertook his journey to Iranian Capital of Tehran, held meeting with ambassador of Saudi Arabia Abdul Aziz Al-Ghadeer and discussed, according to an official statement,” regional situation with reference to Middle East, the president reiterated Pakistan’s stance that it favours political stability and non-interference in internal affairs of the countries by outside elements”. Major focus of this meeting was to search ‘acceptable areas both for Iran and Saudi Arabia for an Afghan peace particularly in reference to Persian zones of Afghanistan where Iran frequently exercises its ethnic influence.
Like war peace in Afghanistan too appears quite expensive for the United States. To garner Muslim countries’ support in US concept of peace in Afghanistan Secretary of Hillary Clinton went a step ahead by attending OIC’s meeting which she co-chaired with Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in Turkish City of Istanbul.
She recalled a dialogue with Ihsanoglu and leaders of Istanbul’s diverse religious communities 15 years ago. Clearly reflective of US asking Turkey to play its role in Mazar-e-Sharif. Surprisingly Hillary will be in Delhi instead of Islamabad during this week in search for Indian support in United States’ quest for an Afghan peace.
Initially Islamabad offered a guarded response and stopped short of giving any explicit statement. Instead, the foreign ministry said in a terse statement that Pakistan has “ongoing engagement on issues of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and counter-terrorism”. “We will have the opportunity to discuss these issues in greater detail when the core group of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US will meet in Kabul early next week,” the statement added. However, a foreign ministry official admitted that Islamabad has certain reservations about the US plans for the Afghan endgame.
General Pasha, Pakistan’s spymaster was not given a cold shoulder by his US counterpart during his latest visit to Langley. Perhaps, it’s time for realisation on both sides. If at all Pakistan has to play its role in a comprehensive peace effort in Afghanistan, being an important player in the game, it must not sell itself at those terms which Washington so desires. Pakistan is and will remain an important player in the region in its pursuit for a comprehensive and sustainable peace in Afghanistan it should at this juncture unfold its terms to regain its lost pride, glory and self respect. The United States will need more of Pakistan than other regional players. This time deal at your terms.
Writer is a correspondent of Middle East’s largest English Daily Arab News.
No comments:
Post a Comment