The world has no rights to blame United States for leaving Afghanistan

 Afghanistan often labelled as graveyard of empires has lived up to its reputation as United States(U.S.A) has become second superpower after erstwhile Union Of Soviet Socialist Republic (U.S.S.R) to leave Afghanistan without achieving their purpose.

Needless to say Afghanistan has become second Vietnam for Americans and the fact that US Forces slipped out of Afghanistan's Bagram Air-base quietly in night itself shows that its the Taliban which is nearing to complete control over Afghanistan and it might be probably months before Kabul falls.

Two weeks ago India had evacuated all its staff from its Kandahar Consulate had also sent arms and ammunition for the Afghan forces in the same IAF plane which was used to evacuate Indian Consulate staff.

India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested nearly $3 billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country. Recently Afghan forces captured a Pakistan national who was attempting to destroy Afghan-India Friendship Dam (AIFD), formerly Salma Dam, is a hydroelectric and irrigation dam project located on the Hari River in Chishti Sharif District of Herat province in western Afghanistan. 

There have been growing calls, including those from former US President George W Bush, for his country to slow down its exit. Bush said civilians were being left to be “slaughtered” by the Taliban. “Afghan women and girls are going to suffer unspeakable harm. This is a mistake... They're just going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people, and it breaks my heart,” Bush told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Though what former President Bush said is true which is also being agreed upon by world leaders but no country has right and credibility to blame United States for leaving Afghanistan in such fashion especially after U.S having spent more than $3.5 trillion dollars and after more than 2,400 American soldiers have sacrificed their life fighting in Afghanistan. No other country can boast of its soldiers having fought and lost their lives for world peace like U.S .Lets not forget it was Americans who saved the world and defeated Germans, Japanese in WW2. 

Recently there was a pic where a father and son were both deployed in Afghanistan reminiscing past history were many father and sons fought together on D-Day on the beaches of Normandy in WW2.The famous movie -Saving Private Ryan story was inspired by the fact that seven brothers fought and were killed in WW2.No other country has contributed so much for world peace like Americans. No country has right to blame Americans for leaving Afghanistan especially when other countries refused to send their troops.

Its the collective responsibility of the world to ensure Taliban does not take over Afghanistan again. Perhaps before withdrawing in such abrupt fashion Biden should have lobbied with world powers and convince countries to send their peace keeping force under United Nations Mandate.

The abrupt withdrawal of US forces will embolden Taliban and in future Afghanistan may again become a safe heaven for organizations like Al-Qaeda.

This will have huge negative impact on India as Pakistan which was on Financial Action Task Force(FATF) will again recieve funding form Americans for its services as Afghanistan being landlocked depends entirely on Pakistan for supply of goods through border at Torkam located near Khyber Pass and Spin Boldok.

The Jaish-E-Mohammed(JEM) Commander who infiltrated India and who was mastermind of Pulwama Terror Attack was a Afghan War Veteran.

During early days of militancy in Kashmir valley many Kashmiri youths who had crossed to POK for terror training were trained in terror camps in Afghanistan.

Its no doubt that as per present situation in Afghanistan India will be biggest loser because Pakistan importance in Washington DC will increase thereby resulting in lifting of measures put by FATF.

India should lobby with world powers so that UN Peace keeping force is sent to Afganistan so that total control is not lost.

This could be a golden opportunity for Iran to come out of the sanctions imposed on it by Americans if it decides to utilize its geography the way Pakistan smartly does. India which already had aided in  construction of Railway line from Chabahar port to Iran-Afganistan Border and Zaranj-Delaram Highway will be able to utilize this as another supply line for UN Peace keeping force.

All these years Americans fought in Afghanistan almost single handedly though British and some European countries sent troops but they were minimal when it should have been collective responsibility of the world. And now for world leaders to blame Joe Biden for abrupt withdrawal is not only hypocrisy but also morally wrong.We often take for granted the very same thing that deserves our gratitude. Joe Biden is the fourth US president presiding over having troops in Afghanistan.

India all these years had played constructive role in Afghanistan but it failed to make the Chabahar Port-Zaranj railway line fast tracked project  and also failed to make Iran as logistical source for the West and thereby losing golden opportunity to make US less dependent on Pakistan.We lost a golden opportunity during President Obama term when Iran and US were willing to break the ice for better relations.

Let's not forget when Indian Airlines IC-814 was hijacked it was taken to Kandahar Airport by the hijackers and India was forced to send Ajit Doval for negotiation which resulted in releasing of  JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar from Indian prison.

We need to make Iran as logistical hub for friendly forces in Afghanistan rather than they depending on Pakistan and its the moral responsibility of entire world to send it's troops to Afghanistan under UN mandate as peace keeping force otherwise if Afghanistan falls to Taliban another 9/11 or another hostage situation like IC-814 will occur and Afghanistan will become safe heaven for Pakistan to train militants and send them over to Kashmir valley. They did this in past in early 90s they will do it again notwithstanding the so called peace process which both India and Pakistan has agreed to take further. We all know Pakistan will not leave its hate towards India and will continue its strategy of bleeding India through thousands cuts.

Neither Air-Force or Navy is a supporting arm of Army

 Yesterday on 2nd July 2021 CDS General Bipin Rawat raised a storm after declaring on national television in an interview that Air-Force is a support arm of Army just like how Engineers and Artillery are for Infantry units of Army. 

This statement not only is outdated and wrong but the timing of this statement when India is going for joint Theatre commands has exposed the turf war which came to affect our National interest for the first time in 1999 Kargil War. The lack of jointmanship during decision making when Army's demand for AirStrikes on enemy position was not entirely agreed upon by Air-Force.Thereby resulting in not only we losing above 500 soldiers but also it resulted suggestion of post of CDS  in the subsequent Kargil review commitee.

Today CDS has said Air-Force is a support arm, Tomorrow he may even include Navy in that list.

Lets not forget in the same Kargil war Pakistan didn't opened up another front because it was left with only six days of oil left as Indian Navy had blocked of all oil supplies to our western nemesis.

Let's not forget after Pulwama Suicide Bombing it was Indian Air-Force which extracted revenge by bombing JEM complex at Balakot. In the subsequent next day Operation Swift Retort launched by PAF it was again IAF which defended us and saved Oil depot which was one of the target.

Let's not forget it was IAF hunter fighter jets which saved brave men of Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri at Longewala in 1971 who had bravely held guard against enemy ten times its size.

Lets not forget in the distant past we had sent a patrol of Jaguar jets to Jaffna during the start of IPKF deployment in Sri Lanka as a warning. Nothing intimidates  like Air-Force strength in the heart of enemies.

Around same time when Maldives was facing coup it was IAF which sent its Mirage Jets as a warning to rebels that India is intervening the crisis.

The recent Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region where Azerbaijan used Turkey manufactured Bayraktar TB2 UAV wreaked havoc on a superior Armenian Forces.It shouwed the world that in today's warfare its the Air-Power which will decide the course of war.

Lets not forget how Israel destroyed Iraq's under construction Nuclear plant using its fighter jets. Not many people know in those days Israel had requested India the use of Indian Air-force Western Base as a launchpad to strike Pakistan Nuclear Sites.According to the Dawn Newspaper, the operation was subsequently called off due to fears of a retaliatory attack on Indian nuclear facilities. It is also believed that the CIA had tipped off Pakistan President Zia Ul Haq of these plans and the State Department warned India of stern action (Dawn, 29 October 2007). The timing of this suspected operation suggests that the US was concerned about Pakistan losing its focus on the Afghan Jihad against the Soviet Union. Indeed, at that time, Pakistan was an indispensable ally for the fight against the Soviet troops in Afghanistan, in the same way today Pakistan is again an indispensable ally today for America's interest in Afghanistan. The difference now is that the US strongly encourages and remains an active party to the growing Indo-Israel relationship, and is an important factor in this growing relationship.

Today when Afghanistan is again in doldrums as US just removed all its forces from Bagram Airfield and with Taliban again making steady inroads Pakistan has become an important launchpad again for Americans.

On one end we have Chinese who have annexed our land in Ladakh forcing us to move 4 divisions from the Pakistan border to the Ladakh border with China.

Prior to the India-China stand-off in Ladakh India had 12 divisions facing China on the Ladakh front and 25 facing Pakistan on the west. This ratio has now changed. Today there are 16 divisions positioned on the Ladakh front compared to 21 on the western front.

The recent India - Pakistan signing ceasefire declaration and signalling intentions of making peace inroads is nothing but all directed by China.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan open support for Pakistan cause all these years was not a cause of concern for us as it hardly mattered but the role of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UAV role  in Ajerbaijan's victory over Armenia  has potential to change the war outcome in sub-continent if it occurs .In all probability we can safely assume that Pakistan already has Turkish  Bayraktar TB2 UAV.

Now that two-front threat that strategists have long regarded as the worst-case military scenario for India is a reality and with Army stretched to its reserves our only deterrence will be a Fully equipped modernised IAF. And with our dependence of oil on Gulf Navy also plays an equally important role.

With Pakistan importance rising again in American strategic intrest as they pull out of Afganistan -America's Second Vietnam we no longer can expect the formation of an alliance like NATO with ASEAN,JAPAN,AUSTRALIA as It was USA which could have added punch to such an alliance.

In the end its us who will be butchered if we dont pull up socks and equip our Air-Force with the required strength. Operation Swift Retort has shown us how a inferior Enemy can escalate and de-escalate war as per its needs using its Air-Force.We were lucky in Operation Swift Retort that we had a friend in Oval Office that time.President Trump though not a politician till he became President had an understanding of world's Geo-politics way better than other American Presidents in the past.He was truly India's friend .Had he got 2nd term the alliance on the lines of NATO against China which is ur only way to tame the dragon would have become reality.Lets's not forget Henry Kissinger once had openly declared America doesn't have any foreign policy they only have American Policy .With Pakistan again in focus in America's interest over Afghanistan and with China breathing fire on us our only hope to stalemate and defend ourselves will hugely depend on our  Air-Force and Navy.

So for CDS to say Air-Force is a support arm of Army is wrong and reflects lack of strategic understanding.

In today's warfare Its the AIr-Force which plays the most decisive part.

Lets not forget in 1965 and 1971 both wars Pakistan had got fighter jets from countries like Jordon and Indonesia where as we had recieved none as such .If today war breaks out Pakistan needs only Turkish  Bayraktar TB2 UAV to wreak havoc.In all probability with our current state of affiars of Air-Force the result of any war will be similar to one we had in 1965 which ended in stalemate.

And if such a stalemate occurs its a victory for an inferior and smaller force.

The recent attack on Jammu IAF base by drones has shown our vulnerability.

Its high time we equip our Air-force with enough teeth .Already the tenure of A K Anthony has pushed our Armed forces back by 25 years if we dont catch up we may lose more land in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

The place to discuss (and resolve) differences among ARMY,AIR-FORCE And NAVY is in Chief of Defence Staff room in South Block. Not TV studios.