Act seeks to impose range of sanctions on both Pakistan and its puppet terror regime in Afghanistan
@prashanthamine
Mumbai: From being an all-weather, steadfast ally of the United States of America in its War on Terror that started in Afghanistan in 2001, to now on the verge of facing wide ranging US sanctions, Pakistan’s cunning, conniving and double-crossing diplomacy seems to have finally boomeranged on it.
If and when the US Senate passes the “Afghanistan Counterterrorism Oversight, and Accountability Act of 2021” (ACOAA) and US President Joe Biden ratifies it to become a Public Law, it could well see realignment of forces in West and South Asia between the US led alliance and the China-Pakistan axis.
The bill introduced by senior Republican senator Willard @ Mitt Romney on September 27, 2021, has already been twice read and has been referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. The bill will require bipartisan support to sail through in becoming a law. As per the stated objectives of the bill, once it becomes a law, it will remain in force for the next 10 years.
Senator Mitt Romney was the Governor of Massachusetts and was also the nominee for the 2012 Presidential elections.
Pakistan could well be the 40th country to join the long list of countries against whom the US has imposed sanctions, and Taliban ruled Afghanistan being the 41st country.
Since the 1950’s, the US has imposed wide ranging sanctions against 39 countries, that includes 25 country specific sanctions. Besides this, financial and other sanctions have been imposed against 80 entities, 22 of them are country specific.
Some US sanctions like the ones against North Korea have been in place since 1950, Cuba 1960, Iran 1979, Syria 1986, Sudan 1993, Russia 2012 and Venezuela 2019. Some of these sanctions like those imposed on North Korea, Iran, Syria and Sudan have had a crippling effect on their economies.
In unmistakable terms, the bill categorically names Government of Pakistan as “Entities providing support for the Taliban”. It calls upon the administration to report an assessment of support by state and non-state actors, including the “Government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020, including the provision of sanctuary space, financial support, intelligence support, logistics and medical support, training, equipping, and tactical, operational, or strategic directions”.
The bill further seeks an assessment “of support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the 2021 offensive of the Taliban that toppled the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan”.
The bill also seeks an assessment “of support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the September 2021 offensive of the Taliban against the Panjshir valley and the Afghan resistance…”.
It is a clear reference to the then Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed who had camped in Kabul to supervise the Pakistan army aided airstrike against the Northern Alliance in the Panjshir valley. It is also an open secret as to how the Pakistan arm twisted the Taliban by ensuring its puppet, the Haqqani network got the lion’s share and key portfolios in the ruling Taliban dispensation in Afghanistan.
The bill seeks to outline the US opposition to recognition of a Taliban representative as Ambassador to the United States. It also seeks to oppose the Taliban’s participation and involvement at the United Nations and other measures. The move comes in the wake of the Taliban appointing Sirajjudin Haqqani, a wanted terrorist responsible for attacks against United States citizens, as the Taliban Minister of Interior.
The US sanctions include wide-ranging topics like – agriculture, defense, nuclear technology, financial, technological, human trafficking, narcotics smuggling and others, (but excludes humanitarian aid), that has any direct bearing on any US interests.
Then there are sanctions imposed on foreign individuals, companies and institutions that are engaged in activities that the US feels harms its interests. Already there are sanctions imposed on about 1,064 foreign individuals, companies and institutional entities that include those from Afghanistan and Pakistan as well.
The bill provides for the administration to submit periodic reports to the Senate upon entities providing support to the Taliban, hostages taken by Taliban, foreign assistance provided by countries and organisations to Taliban and human rights abuses. It further seeks to impose sanctions on supporters of Taliban, imposition of penalties and support for multilateral sanctions with respect to the Taliban.
The bill hinges on the premise that the Taliban shall uphold its commitment agreed to in the agreement signed in Doha, Qatar on February 29, 2020. The US administration now realises that the Taliban has failed to reduce levels of violence and its adhering to certain counter-terrorism guarantees.
During the negotiations over the Doha agreement, the bill argues that the Taliban regularly consulted the Al-Qaeda leadership and offered guarantees to them. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) deputy director on September 14, 2021, there were indications to be seen of potential involvement of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
The bill seeks to invoke several provisions of certain Public Laws enacted like the – Afghan Allies Protection Act, 2009, National Defense Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year, 2006, Code of Federal Regulations, Immigration and Nationality Act, Agriculture Trade Act of 1978, Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, International Emergency Economic Powers Act, State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, Trade Act of 1974 (Jackson-Vanik amendment) and National Security Act of 1947 to impose sanctions.
The bill also makes references to reports of Human Rights Watch (HRW) in respect of human rights abuses by Taliban, the World Food Programme of the United Nations referring to possible starvation of Afghan people, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), UN Security Council (UNSC) and other resolutions of UN bodies regarding humanitarian aid, human rights abuses and terrorism.
The bill seeks to put the onus on the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Treasury and Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and House of Representatives to assess, keep a watch and ensure implementation of sanctions. The Secretary of State in coordination with the United States Agency for International Development and Secretary of Treasury shall regularly submit reports to the appropriate Congressional committees on those countries and organisations supporting Taliban in violation of the sanctions imposed by the US.
For the first time, a US legislation recognises the need to strengthen diplomatic, economic, and defense cooperation with the Government of India (GoI). The US now feels it appropriate to address economic and security challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the Taliban in the region.
The bill further talks of making diplomatic efforts in South and Central Asian countries, especially countries like Turkey, and any other country that has a significant population of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities fleeing persecution in the People’s Republic of China. The aim is to hurt China and keep it in check.
The bill also seeks to end discriminatory treatment of Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The intended purpose seems to be to gain a new foothold in these countries that have an influence in Afghanistan.
