Distrust of America and militant “assets”

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Editorial
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  • Ignoring elephant in the room too long

The US cannot win the war in Afghanistan without Pakistan’s support. It knows that intelligence sharing with Pakistan is crucial for success. Washington also depends on Islamabad for transporting weapons through air flight and sending vital provisions for allied troops through Pakistan’s road network. Pakistan on its part can neither succeed against the terrorists with its own resources nor can it destroy the safe havens of the TTP and IS situated inside Afghanistan from where the two networks continue to launch terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. The war against the terrorists can only be won through enhanced cooperation between the two countries which is not possible without accommodating each other’s concerns.

The Trump administration needs to realise that giving India a role in the settlement of the Afghan question can only increase distrust in Pakistan. Washington has also to understand that support from Pakistan cannot be extracted through threats like suspending aid which reaches Pakistan mostly in the form of Coalition Support Fund (CSF). Sanctions would not only serve to degrade Pakistan’s capability to fight the war against terror but also feed the popular narrative of American betrayal. Shifting blame for the US troops’ failures, or Afghan government’s shortcomings, onto Pakistan won’t help either. When the Afghan Taliban have publicly accepted responsibility for the attack on Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel, why point the finger at Pakistan as President Ghani has done? The While House spokesperson’s peremptory demand to ‘immediately arrest or expel the Taliban’s leaders’ will not help improve relations either.

This said, it has taken Pakistan’s civil and military leadership too long to realise that sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council have to be implemented by every responsible country. Prime Minister Abbasi told Reuters on Monday that a consensus has been achieved to take over Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniyet Foundation (FIF). A decision in this regard should have been taken much earlier. With a UNSC’s sanctions implementation team arriving tomorrow in Pakistan, a perception is likely to be created that the step is being taken under pressure.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Repeating same mantra of hafiz saeed by US to hide their loss in Afghanistan that would not help them in sha Allah.
    jud cleared by courts and still brainless journalist are trying to speak against how dare you? We Pakistani people are done with US kick them out thats the only solution.
    Stop their supply line they will stop being rude to us. Hafiz saeed is not a terrorist for us and according to our law he is clear like a white paper so try to promote him as religious scholar because he is not who stand against extremism in the whole world.

  2. For Gods sake deport Afghan refugees and don’t make our country a laughing stock. Stay away from the political & negotiations process in Afghanistan. It is non of our concern. Let them kill each other. Afghanistan is a threat to our children ! What has US given us ? Only bribes, lies & deceit !

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