US needs to revise its South Asia policy
With US Defence Secretary Gen (r) Mattis due in Islamabad next month pressure is piling on Pakistan to do more. Ambassador Hale met COAS Bajwa early this month. Two days later NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg claimed Taliban bases in Pakistan pose a big challenge to efforts for peace and stability in the neighbouring country. More recently Centcom Commander Gen Votel spent two days in Pakistan meeting military high command with a message to prevent militants from operating within and across its borders. As Taliban attacks inside Afghanistan continue to increase, there is a likelihood of US pressure on Pakistan further escalating.
Unless the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan work together there is no way to stop the situation in Afghanistan from further deteriorating, which is not in the interest of any of the three countries.
Islamabad, which had to pay heavily to restore the state’s writ in tribal areas and restrict terrorist attacks inside the country, is naturally unwilling to do anything that brings the Afghan war inside Pakistan. The country retains bitter memories of how Washington betrayed it, abruptly departing from the region after the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan, leaving Pakistan to fend for itself. Trump’s South Asia policy, which gives India a role in Afghanistan, has provided Pakistan yet another incentive to keep the Taliban leaders in its custody as a hedge for the uncertain future. The US needs to allay Pakistan’s concerns to win its confidence. It is not enough to remove LeT from the Haqqani network. President Trump should instead use his clout with India to persuade it to open talks with Pakistan on Kashmir and other disputes and ensure that there is visible development on the issues.
It is in Pakistan’s own interest to help as much as it can to bring peace in Afghanistan without getting directly involved in the Afghan imbroglio. Islamabad should ensure that Afghan terrorists are neither free to plan nor able to launch attacks from its territory. Meanwhile, Pakistan should go an extra mile to improve bilateral relations with Kabul.