Need to end cherry picking
None of the three options presented to Trump to resolve the Afghan conundrum has pleased the US President. The first involves more troops and an open-ended commitment. It enjoys maximum support in the administration and in Congress, but the president has so far failed to agree to it. The second option is some version of Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s security contractor proposal that involves scaling back U.S. troops, and the third is for a complete U.S. withdrawal. As brainstorming started at Camp David, Centcom Chief Gen Joseph Votel visited Pakistan along with a military delegation. Votel held delegation level talks with COAS Bajwa and called on Prime Minister Abbasi. While Votel underlined the need for cooperation between the US and Pakistan, like Senator McCain he too emphasised that Pakistani soil must not be used to plan or conduct terrorist attacks against its neighbours.
Discussions have been further complicated at Camp David by differences over the extent of a hard line on Pakistan for failing to act against the Afghan Taliban. According to US media quoting US officials, under one proposal the US would begin a review of whether to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism unless it pursues senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network. Such a designation would trigger harsh U.S. sanctions, including a ban on arms sales and an end to U.S. economic assistance.
There is a near unanimity among US generals beginning with CJCS Gen Joseph Dunford to Gen Votel that peace in Afghanistan and the region hinges on Pakistan’s cooperation. The visits by the Congressional delegation led by Senator McCain and the military delegation under General Votel indicate that there is a fairly widespread acknowledgement of the sacrifices Pakistani nation and its security forces have rendered in fight against terrorism. What creates problems for Pakistan is the persisting view that it is closing its eyes to certain terrorist groups. Pakistan would do well by taking across the board action against all terrorist networks.
