by Riaz Khokhar
Riaz Khokhar, Research Officer at Center for International Strategic Studies, Islamabad, explains that “The Pakistani authorities believes it volition play a constructive piece of job [in Afghanistan], including using its influence over the Taliban.” A primal betoken underlies the US-Pakistan relationship: Washington seeks Islamabad’s back upward inwards the honorable move out from Afghanistan. After 17-years of war, the interests of the USA together with Islamic Republic of Pakistan seem to take maintain aligned inwards pursuing a negotiated village of the Afghan conundrum. This reality presents to the novel authorities inwards Islamabad alongside what Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center characterized equally a golden chance to convince the Taliban to commit to the peace talks together with move component of the political procedure inwards Afghanistan. Toward that end, the Pakistani authorities believes it volition play a constructive role, including using its influence over the Taliban. Indeed, Islamabad considers peace together with stability inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan equally “vital for its ain long-term stability together with progress,” equally emphasized yesteryear Islamic Republic of Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi.
Fortunately, both the USA Departments of State together with Defense take maintain begun to admit Islamabad’s of import piece of job inwards the negotiated village of the Afghan dispute. Secretary Pompeo described the cooperation of the 2 countries equally “mutually beneficial together with a cistron for stability inwards South Asia.” Apparently, this marks a considerable difference from the harsh United States of America opinion against Islamabad since the Trump direction took the reins inwards the White House.
The positive signalling notwithstanding, the United States of America direction has by together with large looked askance to the alleged rubber havens together with the patronage of Afghan insurgents inwards Islamic Republic of Pakistan that are predominant factors inwards the insurgency’s resilience. In this regard, the USA expects Islamabad to cease back upward of, together with accept military machine activity against, terrorists that conduct out attacks on United States of America servicemen together with Afghan safety forces inwards Afghanistan.
Pakistan has denied the allegation categorically, maxim that it had destroyed the terrorist network from the province together with at that topographic point was no rubber haven for terrorists whatsoever. Regardless, Washington has adopted diverse coercive diplomatic tactics against Islamabad.
For instance, inwards 2016, the USA Congress removed the Financial Military sales subsidy for Pakistan’s buy of F-16 fighter jets because or hence United States of America senators questioned Islamabad’s behavior. After 2 years, on August 1, 2018, the United States of America Congress passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which significantly reduced safety assistance for Islamic Republic of Pakistan (which was previously a component of the Coalition Support Fund) from $750 meg a twelvemonth inwards 2017 to $150 meg a twelvemonth for FY2019. On August 10, 2018, the USA barred Pakistan’s dry reason forces together with naval officers from participating inwards the United States of America International Military Education together with Training (IMET) program. Islamic Republic of Pakistan had been the largest player inwards the IMET plan betwixt 2003 together with 2017, symbolizing the plan equally a trademark of the bilateral human relationship together with a standard of mutual trust.
The 2 parties must think that at that topographic point take maintain been or hence crucial precedents for mutual cooperation inwards the recent past. United States of America drone strikes inwards the yesteryear killed many terrorists that were believed to live a threat to Pakistan. The drones killed or hence of the leading terrorists such equally Baitullah Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud, Qari Hasan together with Said Khan Sajna. The latest of the terrorists killed yesteryear drones included Mullah Fazlullah together with iv other senior commanders of the TTP. These counterterrorism strikes yesteryear the USA had the potential to ease tension inwards the US-Pakistan human relationship together with Pb them to advance their counterterrorism cooperation against mutual enemies inwards the region.
In or hence other meaning move, inwards Apr 2017, the USA dropped the Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) — the well-nigh powerful non-nuclear weapon inwards the American arsenal — on the stronghold of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) inwards Afghanistan, the real IS faction which claimed responsibleness for the recent terrorist assault inwards Mastung, Balochistan, during the 2018 election campaign. In September 2017, Pakistani commandos rescued a Canadian-American identify unit of measurement from terrorists alongside the aid of United States of America intelligence. The word sharing together with military machine cooperation against terrorists inwards these instances prove to the strong military-to-military together with word ties betwixt the 2 countries. No wonder, then, that military machine cooperation is considered foundational inwards the US-Pakistan human relationship overall. Both countries demand to piece of job on these areas to motion the needle forrard on bilateral cooperation.
The demand of the hr is to channel the cooperation toward securing peace together with stability inwards Afghanistan. Moeed Yusuf of the USA Institute of Peace suggested late that also bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, both of the countries demand to alienate together with counteract those elements inside the Taliban that attempt to scuttle the peace process.
Likewise, both countries percentage a long-term commitment that the enduring outcome inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan must entail preemption of the Afghan territory from becoming a rubber haven for transnational terrorists. It is mayhap also inwards the involvement of Islamabad that the American forces remain inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan until the safety province of affairs stabilizes, or else the 1990s-like instability together with civil state of war mightiness resurface, resulting inwards negative spill-over effects inwards Pakistan.
The apprehension regarding the in all probability nightmarish provide of the uncertain safety surround was the predominant argue behind Islamabad’s hedging strategy alongside the Taliban. In this regard, the revised United States of America Southern Asia strategy is in all probability to assuage Islamabad’s anxiety yesteryear ensuring that United States of America forces would remain inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan until the weather condition of peace together with stability inwards the province are fulfilled to a considerable degree.
Additionally, denying Islamic Republic of Pakistan a considerable piece of job inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan together with instead advocating the same for its competitor Bharat would dampen Pakistan’s passion for the reset inwards the relationship. Both Islamic Republic of Pakistan together with the USA demand each other. Islamic Republic of Pakistan needs the United States of America military machine presence together with fiscal assistance inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan for the latter’s stability, spell Washington needs Pakistan’s ground/air lines of communication to conduct on its peace efforts. In this regard, it is remarkable that inwards the recent National Defense Authorization Act for FY2019, the USA deemphasized India’s piece of job inwards Afghanistan, ostensibly to attend to Pakistan’s safety apprehensions. This evolution suggests that alone yesteryear working concertedly alongside Washington tin Islamabad take maintain a take a chance to secure its strategic interests inwards Afghanistan.
Taking all things into account, for longstanding peace together with stability inwards Afghanistan, both Islamic Republic of Pakistan together with the USA demand to appreciate each other’s strategic interests instead of pandering to recriminations together with the resulting decoupling that eventually volition undermine the prospects of whatsoever favorable outcomes for both sides — together with Afghanistan.
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