- Envoy says Pakistan ready to help US in Afghanistan
Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry has said that his foremost task is to build on early contacts with the American administration to bolster bilateral relations, as Pakistan wants to have good relations with the United States, China and Russia.
Aizaz has assumed charge of his assignment at a time of mixed security scenario in South Asia, where Pakistan has flushed out the Taliban from its tribal areas but Afghanistan is teetering under the constant threats and militancy especially from the Islamic State.
During his first interaction with the Washington-based Pakistani journalists, he listed improving Pakistan’s image, harnessing the potential of vibrant Pakistani-American community as bridge-building force and removing wrong perceptions in parts of the American media, as among his top agenda items.
“I will devote efforts to winning more friends for Pakistan in the American polity, we have a long history of bilateral ties, and I will endeavour to strengthen the relationship,” he said, citing a telephonic call between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Trump.
He vowed to strive for a greater understanding of Pakistan’s national security imperatives and concerns in South Asia so that Islamabad’s views find a greater audience in Washington vis-à-vis both Afghanistan and India. “That precisely will be my duty,” he replied, when questioned about security troubles arising from the Afghan and Indian sides finding a place in the narrative about South Asia.
He cited convergence of interests between Pakistan and the US but also noted that as was the case in a relationship between any two countries, Islamabad and Washington do not see eye-to-eye on all issues. Afghanistan will be one of the areas where President Trump’s advisers are expected to seek Pakistan’s support.
“We want peace and stability in Afghanistan because instability in Afghanistan hurts Pakistan the most,” he said. “We are ready to work with the US and other countries towards that objective,” he said, stressing that all Pakistani institutions wanted peace in the western neighbouring country.
The ambassador said that Islamabad and Washington should work together to stamp out the threat of the Islamic State terror in the region. The militia, which started spreading its tentacles to the region a couple of years ago, has found a foothold in Afghanistan, and has claimed to have carried out some of the deadliest terror attacks.
Aizaz indicated that some kind of breakthrough on reducing Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions was in the offing following Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz’s meeting with Afghan National Security Adviser in London. All recent terror attacks in Pakistan were traced back to Afghanistan, he said, adding that Pakistan wants to boost border management.
“The use of Afghan soil by hostile forces is a matter of great concern for us,” he said, adding no regional country should interfere in Afghanistan. “Pakistan wants to see Afghanistan as an independent sovereign country. We have shown utmost respect for the elected Afghan government,” he said.
“Pakistan wants a political solution to the Afghan conflict,” he said, and recalled Islamabad’s role in the quadrilateral forum that also involved the US and China. Aizaz said that Pakistan’s critics need to see the new ground reality where improved security has helped attract investment and stimulated economic growth.
“What kind of safe havens are you talking about? We have cleared the tribal areas. We are now working on reforms to mainstream the tribal areas and the temporarily displaced people are returning,” he said while responding to Afghan allegation that the Afghan insurgency is fueled by safe havens on the Pakistani side of the border.
“Pakistan has actually defeated terrorist forces,” he said in reference to the country’s recent counterterrorism operations including Zarb-e-Azb. “Afghanistan has to take action on its side,” he said. The ambassador said the US military leaders and Capitol Hill leaders including Senator Lindsey Graham have seen first-hand improvement Pakistan has brought about in the tribal areas.
