Pak-US tension may flare up Afghan conflict: Chinese media

BEIJING: New tensions between Pakistan and the United States will make the Afghan conflict more intense and violent, says Chinese media.

Reacting against the suspension aid to Pakistan, the Global Times in an article published on Wednesday stated, the recent move by the US’s administrative would be counter-productive.

In another article, the paper says, the United States needs to cooperate with Pakistan and other stakeholders in a holistic way, to win the war against terrorists.

Censuring Pakistan is of no help in solving the issue. Commenting on the US’s decision suspending aid to Pakistan, the article says, if Pakistan’s national interests and security cannot be ensured, the region will never see peace and stability. But if Trump’s real intention is to maintain US military presence in the region by keeping the turmoil alive, he will probably have his way with this new policy.

According to the article, Pakistan was a relatively safe and stable country before the US launched the Afghan war in 2001. Then Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf decided to join hands with the US in the war on terror under huge pressure and clamped down on the Pakistan-funded Afghan Taliban.

It should be noted that neither the Taliban nor al Qaeda hurt Pakistan’s interests, so overthrowing the Taliban regime was purely a move to cater to the US, for which Islamabad sacrificed a lot.

It is estimated the war on terror has caused losses of hundreds of billions of dollars to Pakistan, a figure far beyond the US aid worth $33 billion.

In fact, the so-called US security aid to Pakistan is what the US should pay. The US military used Pakistani bases; the US air force occupied its airspace; the US ground transport vehicles passed over its territory, all of which damaged its infrastructure.

The cancelled assistance, estimated at $250 million, cannot even cover the road tolls and the maintenance fees of the highways. In addition, the participation of Pakistani soldiers in the fighting has greatly reduced US casualties.