US Senator Chris Van Hollen has said the Trump administration enabled the Taliban to occupy Afghanistan because it backed Pakistan, which had received three high-profile requests from the then US government to move the Afghan peace process forward. The Taliban commanders were released.
The Karachi-born Maryland Democrat senator argued in the first Senate hearing on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan that it was in Pakistan's interest to "stop the chaos and civil war" in its neighborhood.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing Tuesday in which some Republican lawmakers blamed the Biden administration for the chaos and the Taliban's takeover, following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan last month.
Both other Republicans and Democrats have targeted Pakistan over its alleged support for the Afghan Taliban during the 20-year war.
Responding to the allegations, Senator Van Hollen spoke with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, a key witness.
"Isn't it true that the Trump administration asked the Pakistani government to release three senior Taliban commanders as part of this process?" He asked.
"That's right," replied Anthony Blanken.
Senator Van Hollen asked a number of questions, including joining the release of Abdul Ghani Baradar, not including the former Afghan government in the Doha talks, and pressuring him to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, to which Anthony Blanken answered. That's right.
The US senator also raised the agreement that US troops would withdraw by May and not be attacked, but that there was no restriction on attacking Afghan forces, which Blanken said was correct. ۔
"There's a saying in Afghanistan that partners have watches, we have time, so the Trump administration arranged everything for the Taliban through these talks, gave the green signal to attack Afghan forces, no matter what," said Senator Van Hollen. The conversation did not move forward.
"I'm sure it's true," replied Anthony Blanken.
Senator Van Hollen reminded Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that former President Donald Trump had also criticized President Joe Biden for not withdrawing troops by May, as agreed in the US-Taliban agreement.
He pointed out that the Biden administration has now put both Pakistan and India on the same table because the Afghan conflict cannot be resolved without the involvement of regional players.
"I think at least some of these countries, like Pakistan, India and others, are interested in preventing anarchy and civil war in Afghanistan," he added.
Returning to Pakistan, he said, "Obviously we told them to release the prisoners they had detained, so obviously we have to keep an eye on ISI (Inter Services Intelligence)." Yes, I believe, but now we must all work together to achieve the goal of a stable Afghanistan that protects the rights of its people.
Citing the hostility of some lawmakers against both Pakistan and the Biden administration, he echoed what another senator, Jane Shaheen, had previously said, "the level of hypocrisy in this Congress is astonishing."
However, Anthony Blanken said the United States is aware of countries such as China, Russia and Pakistan that are important in trying to resolve the situation in Afghanistan.
"It's something we have to be very careful about," he said.
The committee's chairman, Senator Bob Menendez, observed that the Taliban were now ruling Afghanistan, so the international community would have to deal with it in one form or another.
"However, we should not make fun of ourselves anymore. There is no such thing as a changed Taliban," he said.
He called on the Senate to re-impose sanctions before the US-Taliban talks, but also called for life-saving humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable.
He expressed concern that no country should rush to recognize this government unilaterally, urging the administration to focus on Afghanistan.
The committee's senior Republican senator, James Resh, said he believed the Biden administration wanted to normalize relations with the Taliban government, but warned that "this should not happen without extensive congressional consultation."
"The chairman of the committee called it a difficult but important situation. We must also understand Pakistan's role in this whole affair," he recalled.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio looked upset at the impact of the current situation on India.
"India has to see what it has to compete with China if the US brings Pakistan's goals to the fore," he said.
