A New Game Begins in Afghanistan
By Ahmad Saeedi, analyst on Afghanistan and regional affairs (Switzerland), exclusively for Sangar
Over the past three months, Marshal Asim Munir, the head of Pakistan’s army, has visited the United States three times. During these visits, he was not only a special guest of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, but also held extensive meetings with American military and intelligence officials.
On the other hand, what I find interesting is that just two days ago, the plane of Shahbaz Sharif, the President of Pakistan, landed at a special U.S. airfield where only Donald Trump’s aircraft are allowed to land. No other presidents’ or prime ministers’ planes are permitted there.
In any case, these visits should not be seen as ordinary. In my view, a new game is taking shape in Afghanistan; a game designed not only by Pakistan but by its military and intelligence institutions, particularly the Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir.
These moves are being carried out in direct coordination with the United States and are aimed at reshuffling the power structure in Kabul.
In the first stage, the current Taliban leader will be sidelined. He will be replaced by softer, more acceptable figures, closer to both Islamabad and Washington.
Power will be handed over to a group better able to interact with the international community while simultaneously serving Pakistan’s geopolitical interests and U.S. security concerns.
Following this transfer of power, the path will be opened for the establishment of a national and relatively inclusive government in Afghanistan; a government that outwardly represents Afghanistan’s various ethnic and social groups but in practice will be guided by regional and international players, including the United States and Pakistan.
Pakistan, given its deep influence within the Taliban’s political and military structures and its strategic alignment with the West, will play a key role in this process and in this chess game.
This complex and multilayered game could reshape Afghanistan in the years ahead. But the key question remains: will these changes truly benefit the Afghan people, or are they simply another rearrangement of pieces to repeat history?
My belief is that history is once again repeating itself. Many will leave, and many others will come again.
