Dealing with a man locked and loaded with a game of chicken
Prime Minister Abbasi who has the gift of the gab defended Pakistan’s position at a number of forums and when talking to the leaders he met. He also spoke at the UNGA and Council for Foreign Affairs. He held meetings with UN Secretary General and US Vice President Mike Pence. He also had a brief exchange of views with President Trump. Abbasi considers his meeting with Pence a very productive one. What one may safely say is that both sides have retreated from a course of collision at least for the time being. A week before the PM proceeded to New York, Pakistani officials had rejected outright the role Trump had given to India in Afghanistan. Foreign Office had held that US’ arms deals with India would destabilise the region. There was anger at Trump’s failure to give proper credit to Pakistan’s role in the war against terror while the US aid figures were questioned. If worse comes to worst, it was maintained, Pakistan could ban the use of its land for NATO supplies to Afghanistan.
The US should not try to brow beat Pakistan. The confrontation would make peace difficult in the region while terrorist attacks would continue to take toll of life in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The chaos in the region would in the long run prove catastrophic for the US and the world at large. Pakistan and Afghanistan have to ensure that terrorist networks do not use their territory as spring board. Afghanistan being a sovereign country is free to get aid from any country but it must not allow Pakistan’s opponents to use areas under its control against its neighbour.
While hopes have been aroused by the PM’s visit, there is yet nothing from the US side to show that the Trump Administration has accepted Pakistan’s view that talks rather than war is the way to bring peace in Afghanistan. It is still unknown if the US is willing to go back on giving India a role in Afghanistan. While keeping the door open for talks with the US, Pakistan should concentrate on cleansing its own house.
