Pakistan and the US – it’s a love-hate relationship

Ambiguity – ambiguity everywhere.

But Pakistan’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Azaz recently made a statement that raised question about Pakistan’s newfound commitment about not differentiating between ‘good and bad’ Taliban.  He said that Islamabad has considerable influence over the Afghan Taliban because its leaders live in the country.

Pakistan-US relations have always been complicated, especially when it comes to the war on terror. The United States has always maintained that Pakistan needs to act against all the terrorists operation from its soil, at times accusing the country of not doing enough against terrorism. The demand to ‘do more’ has been there for quite some time and Pakistan on several occasion has been accused of sponsoring terrorists and backing anti-Afghanistan groups, often referred to as ‘good Taliban’, that use Pakistan’s soil for launching attacks in Afghanistan.

Responding to the US concerns and demands of doing more against terrorism, Pakistan joined a quadrilateral group against terrorism that included Afghanistan, China and the US. The ties between the two countries clearly lack trust, which is why they keep deteriorating whenever something unusual happens.

In May this year, a US drone strike targeting Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor worsened the already-tense relations between the two countries. The leadership in Pakistan termed the attack a violation of the country’s sovereignty but the US administration brushed aside protest from Islamabad and President Barack Obama warned that American forces would continue to ‘go after threats emanating from Pakistani territory’, hinting that the US is not too happy with Pakistan’s efforts in fight against terrorism.

There has also been a deadlock over the deal of F-16 fighter jets. Furthermore, Pakistan’s efforts to become a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) could not succeed and the relations of both the countries have seen many ups and downs recently.

In July a US congressional panel demanded cutting off all assistance to Pakistan to persuade the country’s leadership to act against the Afghan Taliban groups allegedly using its territory to launch operations into Afghanistan, a move that Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz says is motivated by ‘baseless concerns’ of ‘a section of US lawmakers’.

Some US lawmakers and witnesses also suggested declaring Pakistan a state that sponsors terror and imposing economic sanctions if Islamabad did not eliminate the terrorists’ ‘safe havens’ on its territory.

In May this year, the US Congress decided to save $430 million by denying sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan under the Foreign Military Financing program. Congress’ Foreign Relations Committee has acted on the ground that Pakistan’s operations against Islamic militants don’t merit US support. The House has mocked the Obama administration’s appreciation of Pakistan’s Zarb-e-Azb operation.

Pakistani officials give an impression that Pakistan is receiving praise for operation Zarb-e-Azb and that the world community is satisfied with the anti-terror operation the country is engaged in, but the recent developments in Pak-US ties show that this is not the case.

The government of Pakistan and all other stakeholders should try and address the issues that have sort of isolated the country in the region. The United States and Pakistan are allies in war on terror and any disturbance in their relations will only affect the results of the war therefore Pakistan should come up with a clear strategy against terrorists.

In the past, Pakistan’s policy vis-à-vis terrorism was that the groups that are not carrying out activities in Pakistan will not be targeted in army actions. These groups included Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network. But after the APS attack, when the country’s leadership sat down to discuss a long term plan to deal with the menace of terrorism and extremism, it was decided that the distinction between ‘good and bad’ Taliban will be eliminated and all terrorist groups regardless of their affiliation will be targeted. This shift in policy was not ordinary, as it brought a change to the longstanding unofficial foreign policy position of the country.

But Pakistan’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Azaz recently made a statement that raised question about Pakistan’s newfound commitment about not differentiating between ‘good and bad’ Taliban.  He said that Islamabad has considerable influence over the Afghan Taliban because its leaders live in the country.

In March this year, Aziz delivered a speech at Washington’s Council on Foreign Relations where he said, “We have some influence over them (Afghan Taliban) because their leadership is in Pakistan and they get some medical facilities. Their families are here.”

The statements by senior Pakistan officials making a distinction between ‘good and bad Taliban’ are certainly doing harm to the country’s position. By making confusing statements and not responding to the situation appropriately, the government is only creating problems for itself.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has decided against paying Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements after US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter decided not to tell Congress that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a US official said last month. Some congressmen are reportedly trying to place regulations and check and balance on the aid United States gives to Pakistan for war on terror. The level of distrust between the both countries has risen greatly and it is Pakistan that will suffer if the US stops assistance in war against terrorism. Therefore, the need of the hour is to formulate a clear counter terrorism strategy and address the loopholes therein.

There is no clarity as to who exactly is running the foreign policy of the country. We do not have a full-fledged foreign minister and in the absence of an elected representative who could present Pakistan’s case at international forum, the country’s foreign policy is facing continuous failures at nearly every forum.

“The foreign policy of the country needs to be improved and the government should start paying attention to it”, said Abida Hussain, former Pakistan ambassador to the US.

She however did not agree that Pakistan’s relations with the US will affect Pakistan’s war against terrorism. “We can do without the US since our economic condition is not that bad anymore”, she said, while speaking to DNA.

She said that Pakistan’s trade relations with the US are seemingly good and that it is wrong to say that Pakistan has become isolated since its relations with the fellow Islamic countries and China are doing well.

“To improve the ties with US, Pakistan’s government should adopt a clearer approach in its policies and appoint a full-time foreign minister should be appointed immediately”, she concluded.