Nawaz Sharif’s visit of critical import

Pakistan and US remain inter-dependent

Nawaz Sharif arrives in the US at a time when the country badly needs international support to shore up its economy, enhance exports and seek investment. What is more, it needs all the help it can get to deal with terrorism, as despite the desire for peace through talks expressed by all the participants in the APC on national security, there is no respite to terrorist attacks. The country has in fact been subjected to some of the most horrendous attacks after the holding of the APC.

The US needs Pakistan’s help as it withdraws its troops from Afghanistan, while ensuring peace in the region in the days to come remains a high priority for the former. The next fourteen months are therefore highly crucial for Pakistan. The interests of the two countries coincide vis a vis putting an end to terrorism in the region. For this both have to work together. To bring the Taliban to the negotiating table Washington needs Islamabad’s help. Pakistan’s support is also required in eliminating the terrorist groups which use tribal areas as launching pad for attacks inside Afghanistan and other countries. The visit should be helpful in bringing the two countries on the same page on issues related to extremism and militancy.

The hazards involved in protecting and nourishing certain terrorist groups as strategic assets should by now be clear to the establishment. As the time for the US drawdown nears, the closing of ranks between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban is becoming all the more evident. Mullah Omar has rejected the Afghan elections scheduled for next year, maintaining that the ‘votes of people have no value’. A similar stand has been taken by the TTP leadership which rejects the constitution and the democratic system enshrined in it as un-Islamic. Pakistan needs to improve relations with its neighours, none of which is happy with the terrorist groups operating from Pakistan’s soil. On Saturday, the PM said: terrorists, target killers and extortionists will be dealt with an iron hand, and the writ of the state shall be ensured at all costs. One has frequently heard rhetoric of the sort over the last four months. Except for Karachi, where an operation has brought some relief, little has been done to target the terrorists who continue to launch attacks from their safe havens in the North Waziristan. Much more needs to be done to address the concerns of the international community which the country badly needs to woo.