PARTLY FACETIOUS: The cost is $2.26 trillion with…

“I am not an apologist for Joe Biden but 20 years of in-country engagement…”

“Is that the new term for colonization!”

“Hey you have to come up with another word – colonization was to gain some financial benefit, here the cost of the 20 years is 2.26 trillion dollars, with nearly 50,000 civilians and 66,000 Afghan troops killed…”

“The US objective was regime change and seriously I think post-9/11 the American people wanted their government to counter attack – so it was out with the Taliban and in with selected men and need I add the selection first of Hamid Karzai and then Ashraf Ghani, together with their hangers-on, may have seemed appropriate but the two were highly divisive, got to like living in the presidential palace, so I would say the right word is Temporary Decompression…”

“I agree, Afghanistan was always like a singing kettle – only the singing began soon after Biden announced a date for withdrawal of troops.”

“Right and while you can blame the US trainers for not being very good at training or not leaving behind the sophisticated weaponry which gave them air superiority over the Taliban who had none…”

“Right, but you can’t argue in favour of a foreign force staying indefinitely because the Afghanis it selected to spearhead change were not able…”

“Ha, ha, so it was tails the allies lost and heads the Taliban won.”

“Indeed, but what makes me angry is the pouring of billions of dollars by multilaterals into Afghanistan…”

“Ha, ha, they did what their major donors told them to do.”

“I understand that but shouldn’t they have engaged political analysts more able to predict whether their investments would go down the drain or…”

“You always support the impossible don’t you? How can those dependent on money from the rich countries defy the instructions of those countries and…”

“Speaking of the donors – do you reckon Pakistan and IMF sixth review will be conclusive next month?”

“Hmm, the US ain’t on our side, and The Khan and his band of merry men have been making some statements that I am sure haven’t gone down well with the US…”

“What about our allies? China is a powerful country and…”

“China has not enough clout at the multilaterals whose terms of engagement were set long before China became an economic powerhouse…”

“OK, so I guess Shaukat Tareen will have to demonstrate.”

“This time The Khan would not be able to say absolutely not!”

“Indeed.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021