The much awaited strategic deal between Afghanistan and US has been signed. The US President, Barrack Obama, reached Kabul on an unannounced trip on Tuesdsay, May 01, 2012. The deal was signed by both the Presidents at about 12 midnight (start of May 02), which put an end to the controversies that had been rising before the pact, but would generate some new ones.

Both the Presidents hoped that the agreement would play a positive role in establishing peace in Afghanistan. However, there were some who saw the deal as unwelcoming. Therefore, they carried out a deadly suicide attack in the capital Kabul, few hours after Obama left Afghanistan. The incident took the lives of 7 people and injured about 17 others. They were, indeed, Taliban.

According to the deal, US would continue supporting Afghanistan economically and militarily for ten years after 2014. Afghan President Karzai, talking about the deal said, "With the signing of the agreement the chapter of the past 10 years will be closed and a new chapter of mutual relations will be opened. Now two independent countries start the relations on the basis of close friendship, mutual respect and commitments."

Karzai has been in the favor of speedy withdrawal of international troops so that the authorities should be transferred to Afghan troops as soon as possible. Finalizing the strategic deal with the US earnestly may prove a vital step in the same regard. Though prior to the signing of the deal he raised some controversies, they were resolved few weeks before the deal was signed.

The controversies included banning the night-raids and transferring the control of Bagram prison to Afghan authorities. President Obama, during the ceremony, said, "The people of the both countries have scarified over the past 10 years. We are not in favour of continuing the war and would end it with our joint efforts." He also emphasized that US would be careful to end the war responsibly.

However, this fact as clear as crystal that ending the war in Afghanistan responsibly still requires a lot of effort and determination. The signing of the deal alone would not solve the basic issues in Afghanistan that have been the root cause of clashes and disorder. Moreover, there are clear indications that President Obama is under immense pressure to put an end to the unpopular war in Afghanistan.

Most of the American people at home are tired of the war and suggest that this war can never be won; therefore, it must be ended. And they are the same people who would be voting in the coming elections. Therefore, Obama would think thousand times before shattering their expectations. There have been indications that Obama carried out this particular visit on this particular date so as to heighten his stature as a leader, which would definitely support his election campaign a great deal.

The deal has mentioned that US would continue to support Afghanistan both economically and militarily; however, there have not been very definite decisions. It has not been mentioned how much will be paid to Afghanistan by US so as to support its security forces.

There have been concerns regarding the expenditures of the Afghan forces after the withdrawal of international troops in 2014 as Afghan economy is not strong enough to bear the burden of its security forces against a very lethal enemy.

The international community has not yet come up with the ways of compensating for about $ 4 billion annually (estimated figure for the Afghan forces after decreasing their number). NATO in its meeting in Brussels last month urged China and Russia to contribute so that it should be able to meet the requirements. Karzai few weeks earlier had demanded that US should clearly mention the amount it is going to offer according to the deal. However, the deal has not mentioned the actual amount.

The pact also makes it clear that US would not launch attacks on the neighboring countries from Afghan soil. It says, "Considering that stability in Afghanistan would be stability for Central Asia and South Asia, the United States emphasizes that any kind of interference in Afghan affairs would be a matter of concern for the United States… If any interference occurs, the United States, with the agreement of both countries, will give a proper response, including diplomatic means, political means, economic means and even military means."

The neighboring countries, especially Pakistan and Iran have been very much serious about the presence of US in their immediate neighborhood. Moreover, Pakistan on various occasions has condemned the drone attacks on their land through Afghanistan. Even Afghan officials had condemned such attacks. However, this particular mention in the agreement may not prove very much useful unless US takes confidence building measures with the regional countries directly.

The agreement does not mention the actual number of US forces that would stay in Afghanistan after 2014 and there have not been clear discussion regarding the permanent US bases. However, US had earlier mentioned that it does not have any interest in maintaining permanent bases in Afghanistan. It is expected that final decisions regarding the US bases would be taken later.

Though the Afghan-US strategic deal may play a very important role in the country, there are many other important issues that have to be considered before peace and tranquility can be maintained. It is necessary that any future role of US in the region must take in consideration the concerns of the opposition and minority groups and civil society members as will.

Though the agreement also says the U.S. will support Afghan economic development, health care programs, education and social initiatives, and stresses that the U.S. remains committed to defending human rights and the right of free speech, it has to make sure that it supports a political system that should have the capacity to fulfill such challenges of Afghan society and must be able to provide good governance to its people. Moreover, US should provide all the assistance and support for the betterment of the society with a very strict condition of using the assistance for the due purposes. It should make sure that the funds are not used to fill the hungry pockets of corruption.