Pakistan needs to improve ties with neighbours
US National Security Adviser HR McMaster has visited Kabul and Islamabad and would now hold talks in New Delhi. US Defence Secretary James Mattis has already visited India early this month where among others he met Indian NSA Ajit Doval. The visits indicate that the Trump administration is in the process of formulating its policy about Afghanistan and South Asia. Trump’s actions during the last few weeks indicate his fondness for shock and awe methods: 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched at a Syrian airbase, GBU -43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast dropped in Afghanistan, and 97,000-ton USS super carrier Carl Vinson with an escort of a guided-missile cruiser and two destroyers dispatched to threaten North Korea. While this might be a preview of Cold War Season 2, this has hardly changed the situation on the ground anywhere.
Nawaz Sharif and Sartaj Aziz have conveyed Pakistan’s position to McMaster. Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working with the international community to explore ways in which the Afghan crisis can be resolved. The PM also reiterated his firm conviction that sustained dialogue and meaningful engagement is the only way forward in resolving outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, including the Kashmir dispute. He also welcomed President Trump’s willingness to help the two neighbours resolve their differences and noted that this could go a long way in bringing sustainable peace, security and prosperity to the region.
Pakistan needs to open direct talks with Afghanistan for joint action against terrorists without cherry-picking. It should also continue to offer talks to India on all outstanding issues. The SCO summit in June should be used for the purpose. Meanwhile Trump administration needs to realise whether it wants to get further stuck up in the Afghan quagmire. The Taliban continue to prosper despite the MOAB attack while Karzai has called President Ghani a traitor for siding with the US. The only way out for the US is to either revive the Pak-China-US-Afghanistan quadrilateral process or let regional countries which gathered in Moscow last week to help restore peace in Afghanistan.
