Credibility at stake

All eyes on Islamabad

The report released by a prominent English daily on Thursday dealing with, among other things, the causes behind Pakistan’s isolation might not have been fully accurate in details but was spot-on in essence. Sections of the media and a number of parliamentarians have been warning the government that it had pushed Pakistan into isolation for failing to take action against the banned outfits. As Senator Aitzaz Ahsan pointed out non-state actors continue to freely carry out protests, hold rallies and deliver speeches in major cities. A PMLN MNA who had returned from France where he had gone to advocate Kashmir cause said whosoever he spoke to accused Pakistan of harbouring the JUD chief who is widely considered to be the major factor behind Pak-India tensions.

Despite Operation Zarb-e-Azb which removed deadly terrorist networks from North Waziristan, many friendly countries still accuse Islamabad of adhering to a policy of cherry-picking. They claim that Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network use Pakistan’s territory to conduct deadly suicide attacks inside Afghanistan, killing American and Afghan soldiers and innocent citizens. LeT is widely known to be responsible for Mumbai attacks and sanctions have been imposed on it by the UN. JeM leadership is accused of orchestrating the Pathankot attack and is supposed to have association with Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The failure to get F-16s from the US indicates that absence of action against these groups amounts to compromising on the country’s security.

Pakistan is within its rights to continue to lend moral and political support to the Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination. Being a peaceful and responsible member of the comity of nations, however, Pakistan has to ensure that its territory is not used as launching pad by terrorist groups. Pakistan also has to maintain normal working relations with India. For this it has to efficiently pursue the enquiries into the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks. The perception abroad that while Nawaz Sharif wants peace in South Asia he is powerless before other forces who override him needs to be removed.