The best formula devised by the US so far to control the extended reach of Haqqani network operating against the American forces in Afghanistan is to squeeze Pakistan so that the militants can be squeezed as a consequence. Undoubtedly, the message that Hillary brought around was coated in the syrupy sweetness of diplomacy and tact, flouting not a single maxim of politeness she conveyed the US stance very eloquently. Militant sanctuaries in Pakistan can never be tolerated and that failure for Pakistan is not an option in this case, asserting that “we have to be clear that Pakistan must be the part of the solution. There is no alternative.”
In this backdrop, Pakistani security officials have pertinently voiced their concerns that “in the absence of a clear policy, nothing will work”, as in the past everything has been moving in circles with no clear sight of an end. No clear framework has been provided by the US yet apart from a message of redoubling efforts for Pakistan and a warning of “dire consequences”. Pakistan has agreed to the US demand to exert more effort towards the war against terrorism by agreeing to move towards the commonly agreed goals between the two countries. One among these is Pakistan’s readiness to arrange talks with the Taliban, but this time agreements are not without pre-conditions.
Pakistan is ready to facilitate reconciliation that should be Afghan-led, and that in case of its failure the blame does not fall immediately upon Pakistan for not doing enough. The ultimate decision must be given by the US for which group to involve in talks and that what roles are to be assigned to all those involved in the process of negotiation.
The sequence in which the talks need to proceed also must be clearly delineated along with deadlines and timelines. Open ended discussions may prove to be a strain upon the energies of those involved as they may prolong indefinitely while yielding no results. The outcome of the talks may allow the US to decide whether the process is taking the desired course or not and that whether it needs to be renewed or stopped altogether. This will help bring transparency into the process and not allow the blame to be thrust on anyone in case of failure.
PROFESSOR KABIL KHAN
Peshawar