Michael Hughes
May 19, 2023

Afghan-born Western cowboy Zalmay Khalilzad cannot refrain from meddling in Central and South Asian affairs, with his crosshairs now focused on Islamabad, amid former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s struggle against the country’s military. In a new interview with Dawn, he went so far as to suggest the country’s problems could ignite a war and “change the balance of power” in the region.

Khalilzad played the key role in establishing the Karzai puppet regime in Afghanistan and helped pave the road for the Taliban seizure of Kabul. Now he apparently wants to play kingmaker again and is pushing regime change in Pakistan from afar. Earlier this week, Khalilzad spread rumors that Pakistan was plotting to arrest Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Begum, while imposing an “obscure” sedition law against him.

Khan was arrested on graft charges on May 9 after weeks of battles between his supporters and police, and released on bail that expires at the end of May. Khalilzad has backed Khan wholeheartedly in this standoff with the government. Although distrusting Pakistan’s establishment is certainly reasonable, it is also none of Khalilzad’s business.

“I am concerned about the deepening triple crisis in Pakistan: economic, political and security. Pakistan is becoming unstable, poorer, and less secure,” Khalilzad said in his interview with Dawn published on Friday. “Given Pakistan’s size and importance, its problems can also change the balance of power in the region and even lead to war.”

He said the issues could affect the regional order “to the disadvantage of Pakistan” while exacerbating problems like terrorism and the refugee crisis, as he painted a dire picture of the country’s future.

“Economic activity will stall, poverty will increase, civil unrest will disrupt daily life,” Khalilzad predicted. “It should be a leader in the region. Instead, it now looks utterly dysfunctional, untrustworthy, and volatile.”

Khalilzad also claimed that Pakistan’s institutions – including the judiciary and the military – were becoming politicized. The former diplomat argued that an “adversary” might see an opportunity in Pakistan’s disarray or the military may try to externalize the conflict.

When asked why he was backing Imran Khan against Pakistan’s government, Khalilzad said he objected to the unfair treatment of such an admirable man.

“I admire Imran Khan for his tenacity and for his commitment to his country, and I believe that the manner in which he is being treated is extra-judicial, dangerous and unfair,” he said.

Khalilzad of course injected a line on American national interests during the discussion.

“It’s clear to me that America, regardless of which party is in power, needs to be concerned about the crisis and should try to be helpful both directly when appropriate and via our international and regional partners and international organizations such as the IMF,” he said.

Then, at the end of the interview, Khalilzad rather defensively stated that he was not under the influence of Khan’s party, the PTI, and that his views “are a product of my own observations and concerns.”

During his tweet storm earlier this week, the former US envoy also took aim at Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir for cracking down on Khan’s supporters who protested over Imran’s recent detention. Khalilzad accused the “volatile” general of threatening the wives and children of his critics. He said such a volatile individual should not have access to the nuclear trigger.

Khalilzad played power-broker in a deal that opened the door for the Taliban to seize Afghanistan with the help of Imran Khan, who facilitated the talks with the Ghani government at the time. Khan’s legacy is a mixed one from Washington’s perspective – on the one hand assisting the US in the Afghan peace initiative while, rightly, opposing the US establishment’s broader geopolitical aims.

Aside from a personal tie with Khan, Khalilzad’s larger motives are difficult to decipher. And when it comes to Khalilzad, there are always broader agendas and designs involved. And now he sits down with one of the most widely read news outlets to air more sharp criticism while suggesting that the Pakistani state was on the very verge of collapse.

In any case, much of Khalilzad’s public intervention into a sensitive matter in a foreign country, accompanied by hysterical rhetoric and personal accusations, will certainly not help the situation.

Dawn news journalist Absa Komal hit back at Khalilzad for pushing unfounded hearsay and questioned how he was ever allowed to serve as America’s top diplomat in the complex situation in Afghanistan.

“Your opinion based on unverified information on social media is highly concerning. No defense reporter has confirmed the speech. Given your past positions, this is seriously raising questions about the kind of person the US selected to represent them in the complicated Afghan issue. Stop propagating!” Komal said in a tweet in reply to Khalilzad early Friday.