The House of Representative on Wednesday denounced the U.S. decision to handover Latifullah Mehsud, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) deputy leader, to Pakistan earlier in the week. They claimed the move was a clear breach of Afghanistan's sovereignty.
Mehsud, the second in command of the TTP after Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed by a drone strike in November of 2013, was captured by U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan last October. Under President Hamid Karzai at the time, there were unconfirmed reports that Latifullah was being transported in an official convoy to meet with Afghan intelligence personnel when he was forcibly detained by U.S. forces.
On Wednesday, members of Parliament said handing over Mehsud to Pakistan without first consulting with the Afghan government was a questionable move at best and a violation of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) signed between Washington and Kabul at worst.
"Handing over Latifullah Mehsud without informing the government of Afghanistan is a clear violation of Afghanistan's national sovereignty," House Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said.
Experts close to specific issue at hand, but more generally U.S. counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, such as former National Security Advisor Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, have spoken out against Washington's frequent collaboration with Pakistan. Many Afghan leaders, along with the general public, harbor a historically founded suspicion of the Pakistani military and intelligence services genuine commitment to stopping insurgent and terrorist activity in the region.
MP Shekiba Hashimi acknowledged that Latifullah was suspected to have been working with the Afghan government to advance peace talks with Taliban militants based in Pakistan. "As far as I know, this Taliban official was supporting the government of Afghanistan in various spheres, particularly in the peace negotiation process, and the move could harm the process," she said on Wednesday.
For many of the MPs, it seemed as if the U.S. unilateral decision to hand over the prisoner to Pakistan was as good as loosing him, and any chances at peace negotiations he offered, entirely. There have been a number of cases over the years in which Taliban leaders thought to be open to peace negotiations with the Afghan government have been detained by Pakistani authorities and kept out of contact despite requests from Washington and Kabul.
"The Pakistani government becomes the winner in this game and we in Afghanistan fight among ourselves because of the failed policies of the government," MP Zekirya said.
According to Dr. Spanta, who was the head of President Karzai's National Security Council at the time, Mehsud was seized by U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan while he was being transported by Afghan forces. The TTP leader was then thought to have been brought to Bagram where he remained in U.S. custody until being handed over to Pakistan this past Saturday.
"The national sovereignty of Afghanistan was violated two times: the first time after foreign forces took this Taliban official from Afghan forces and secondly after they handed him over to Pakistan," Spanta told Wednesday.
Spanta rejects the idea that he and other members of the Karzai administration condoned the U.S. seizure of Mehsud at the end of 2013. "We didn't remain silent in those days and showed a reaction, I personally summoned General Dunford to my office and asked him about the issue," Spanta said.
Mehsud was said to have been handed over to Pakistan along with two other of his associates. Their names were not provided.
It also remains unclear what involvement President Ashraf Ghani's administration has had, if any, in the recent detainment and transferring of Mehsud.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/3122
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