SITTING in his quiet office thousands of kilometres from his war-torn home, Afghanistan ambassador Nasir Andisha says Australia must make its voice more strongly heard on the international stage to make its efforts in Afghanistan more worthwhile.
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Mr Andisha encouraged the Australian government to criticise Pakistan for blocking a route used for carrying supplies into Afghanistan and for harbouring terrorist groups.
In an interview with the Sunday Canberra Times, the ambassador said Pakistan's decision to block the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation supply route would be costing the Australian government up to three times as much to transport goods, if expenses being incurred by the United States are anything to go by.
Pakistan shut the supply route after US air strikes accidentally killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on November 26.
He said it was difficult to think of how a large amount of military equipment could be transported out of Afghanistan by coalition forces without an affordable road to use.
''The blockage is costing the United States 36 per cent more to transport a bottle of water,'' Mr Andisha said.
''Now goods must be transported all the way across Russia - I think it's five times the distance.''
He said the leverage Australia could use included the aid provided during Pakistan's floods. Mr Andisha, whose office is located in Deakin, said he feared the Taliban would have been buoyed by the media coverage of Australia's withdrawal, a transition he maintained was not ''a year early'' but in line with what had been discussed for years.
''What I want for this government is for the transition to be orderly and smooth,'' he said.
''It shouldn't be hyped.''
He also called for Australia not to be too strict with its timeline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
''We should not bind ourselves into 12 months,'' he said.
''Why not 22 months? Why not 24 months?''
He wanted to see Australians provide more technical training to Afghan troops, such as flying helicopters and graduating captains and majors to higher levels of leadership.
''There's an artillery unit acting as a school and that will take 10 years before that is fully supported by Afghans.''
Mr Andisha said Afghanistan was within weeks of signing a 10-year agreement with Australia for the post-withdrawal decade ending 2024.
