Najam Discusses Power Vacuum in Afghanistan
Adil Najam, Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, appeared on IndusNews’ In Focus South Asia to discuss the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and the forces vying for control of the country.
In his remarks, Najam discusses the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the ensuing conflict between the government in Kabul and the Taliban, as well as what a post-withdrawal scenario will look like. When asked if Pakistan might be able to influence the balance of power in Afghanistan following a U.S. departure, Najam adamantly said it could not. He noted that the Taliban hold the influence over Pakistan, not the other way around, and an attempt to stomp them out would be ineffective.
A clip of Najam’s interview can be viewed below.
Should Pakistan be trying to influence the emerging balance of power in Afghanistan?
No, it should not. No, it can not.
Pakistan has never had any influence on the Taliban. It is the Taliban who have Pakistan by the {choose your body part}.
On @IndusDotNews with @EjazHaider. pic.twitter.com/n1CbLt23yd
— Adil Najam (@AdilNajam) July 5, 2021
Adil Najam is a global public policy expert who also served as the Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. He is the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and was the former Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His research focuses on issues of global public policy, especially those related to global climate change, South Asia, Muslim countries, environment and development, and human development. Read more about Dean Najam on his faculty profile.