US
Paradoxical Ties with Pakistan By Sajjad Shaukat (JR 164
SS 43)
Daniel Markey, a
longtime observer of US-Pak relations, wrote in his book, “No Exit from
Pakistan: America’s Tortured Relationship with Islamabad”, that “despite all
the problems and trust deficit that the US had with Pakistan and its
military–the answer lay in managing the problems rather than finding a
solution. Why managing problems and why not a permanent solution? It’s because
the US civilian leadership thinks differently from Pentagon. The recent example
of Pentagon managing the damage caused by Trump’s anti-Pakistan tweets is
illustration of the same complexity. US establishment understands that for
gaining headway in Afghanistan, support from Pakistan and her Army is a must as
Pakistan is the most affected neighbour and partner in War on Terror. Hence it
is worthwhile that the US establishment and the political government should
start thinking alike to have a long lasting trust-worthy relationship with
Pakistan instead of a mixture of love and hate, if they seriously believe that
peace without Pakistan in the region would not be possible”.
However, it is
due to the US paradoxical ties with Pakistan that confused in their goals, sometimes, US high officials
praised Pakistan’s sacrifices regarding war on terror, sometimes, admitted that
stability cannot be achieved in Afghanistan without the help of Pakistan,
sometimes, presumed that
Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not well-protected, sometimes, realized that US wants to improve its
relationship with Pakistan, but at the same time, they blame Islamabad for safe
havens of militants in the country. While in connivance with India and Israel,
America has been continuing its anti-Pakistan activities by supporting
militancy in Pakistan and separatism in Balochistan province.
Reality is that
the US, India and some Western countries are acting upon the Zionist agenda to
‘denuclearize’ Pakistan, as the latter is the only nuclear country in the
Islamic World.
Nevertheless, in the recent years,
unbridgeable trust deficit existed between Pakistan and the United States
because of America’s double game with Islamabad. But, President Donald Trump’s
flawed strategy in South Asia, based upon anti-Pakistan and pro-Indian moves,
had taken the Pakistan-US ties to point of no return.
It is
mentionable that during the heightened days of the Cold War, despite Pakistan’s
membership of the US sponsored military alliances SEATO and CENTO, including
Pak-US bilateral military agreement, America did not come to help Pakistan
against India which separated the East Pakistan in 1971.
After the end of the Cold War, America left both Pakistan
and Afghanistan to face the fallout of the Afghan war 1. By manipulating the
nuclear programme of Islamabad, the US imposed various sanctions on Pakistan.
But, after the 9/11 tragedy, the US, again, needed
Pakistan’s help and President George W. Bush insisted upon Islamabad to join
the US global war on terror. Pakistan was also granted the status of non-NATO
ally by America due to the early successes, achieved by Pakistan’s Army and
country’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) against the Al-Qaeda militants.
Within a few years, when the US-led NATO forces felt that
they are failing in coping with the stiff resistance of the Taliban in
Afghanistan, who are fighting for the liberation of their country, they started
accusing Pak Army and ISI of supporting the Afghan Taliban. US top officials
and media not only blamed Islamabad for cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan,
but accused that safe havens of Al-Qaeda exist in Pakistan. They constantly emphasized
upon Pakistan to do more against the militants and continued the CIA-operated
drone attacks on Pakistan’s tribal areas by ignoring the internal backlash in
the country.
In his speech on
August 21, 2017, President Donald Trump
announced the US new strategy regarding Afghanistan as part of the policy in
South Asia. Using tough words against
the US ally Pakistan, Trump revived the old blame game of regarding the
cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan and threatened to target the terrorists’
sanctuaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Trump stated, “We have been paying Pakistan billions of dollars, at the
same time, they are housing the very terrorists we are fighting...that must
change immediately.”
As regards Pakistan’s regional rival India, Donald Trump
added, “We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in
Afghanistan…We want them to help us more with Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, on
January 5, 2018, the US suspended $255
million of military aid to Islamabad as a condition to do more against
terrorism.
Taking note of Trump’s policy,
Pakistan’s civil and military leaders, including all the mainstream political
parties united against the US aggressive stance against the country and offered a stark
response to Trump’s false accusations.
The then Defence Minister Ghulam Dastagir
stated: “After 16 years of fighting terror, the US owed Pakistan $23 billion…of
this amount, Pakistan has been paid $14bn and an amount of $9bn is pending.” The
then Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan said, “Just as India blames
Pakistan for the indigenous Kashmiri uprisings when these are a result of its
own failed policy of repression in the Indian Occupied Kashmir...So the US
again blames Pakistan for its deeply flawed and failed Afghan policy stretching
over a decade…We must also reject being made
scapegoats for the policy failures of the US and India…The new US policy is aimed at de-nuclearising Pakistan…India’s major
role in Afghanistan as per Trump administration’s new strategy for the region
will have adverse impacts on Pakistan…Trump undermined the country’s major
contributions towards that war. It seems Trump has no knowledge of this region.
He does not know the dynamics of over a decade-old war the US has been fighting
in Afghanistan…Trump’s new strategy will further weaken the US government and
its economy…If you want peace in Afghanistan, you need Pakistan. More troops
and money will not serve the purpose.”
The then Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif remarked, “Terrorist
sanctuaries are present in East Afghanistan. It is from these safe havens
inside Afghanistan that terrorist attacks are being launched on Pakistan…The claim by Trump regarding the funds, if we account for
it, they include reimbursements too for the services rendered by Pakistan…Our
land, roads, rail and, other different kinds of services were used for which we
were reimbursed.”
According to the
statement of DG of the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj-Gen. Asif Ghafoor, “Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed
Bajwa stated that “Pakistan was not looking for any material or financial
assistance from USA but trust, understanding and acknowledgement of our
contributions…peace in Afghanistan is as important for Pakistan as for
any other country.” In another statement, Maj-Gen Ghafoor said:
“Pakistan had done enough and it was time for the United States and Afghanistan
to do more.” He also urged the US to “check India’s anti-Pakistan role not only
from inside of Afghanistan, but also through the enhanced and increased
ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary”.
In this respect,
a few days after the US cancelled USD 300
million in military aid (The so-called Coalition Support Funds) to Islamabad, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
the former CIA chief had arrived on a visit to Islamabad. He met with Pakistan’s
Prime Minister Imran Khan, Army Chief, Gen. Qamar Bajwa and Foreign Minister
Shah Mahmood Qureshi on September 5, 2018.
Mr Pompeo conveyed the US desire to work with Pakistan in furthering the shared
objectives of peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Notably, international
community knows very well that Pakistan’s Armed Forces have successfully broken
the backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists by the military operations
Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad. Army and top intelligence agency ISI have broken
the network of these terrorist groups by capturing several militants, while
thwarting a number of terror attempts. Peace has been restored in various
regions of Pakistan, including Karachi and Balochistan province.
Although
Pakistan’s security forces have
eliminated terrorism, yet, in the recent past and during the election-campaign
of 2019, blasts in Balochistan and other regions of the country showed that the
US-led India, Afghanistan and Israel have again started acts of sabotage
especially to weaken Pakistan and to damage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) which is part of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative or BRI.
Washington and New Delhi has already opposed this project. Foiled terror attack on the Chinese consulate in
Karachi on November 23, last year was part of the same scheme. Likewise, bomb
blast in Quetta-the capital of Balochistan on April 12, this year killed at
least 20 people and injured 48 individuals. On the same day, at least two
persons were killed and 13 others wounded in an explosion on Mall Road in
Balochistan’ Chaman city. Balochistan
is the focus of projects in the $57 billion CPEC, a transport and energy link
planned to run from western China to Pakistan’s southern deepwater port of
Gwadar which is located in Balochistan. Therefore, well-entrenched in
Afghanistan, America CIA, India RAW and Israeli Mossad are assisting the
separatist elements of the Balochistan province to thwart the CPEC project.
Nonetheless,
now, again, American approach towards Pakistan has become very positive, as
Islamabad who succeeded in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating Table, is
playing a key role in the talks, being held between the US negotiators and the
Taliban in the Doha-the capital of Qatar. Despite hurdles, these dialogues are
making progress gradually. Zalmay
Khalilzad, the US special envoy to Afghanistan who repeatedly visited Pakistan
and met the civil and military leadership, including country’s Foreign Minister
Shah Mahmood Quershi, admired Pakistan’s role in the US-Taliban peace talks.
In fact, US
forces have decided to leave Afghanistan within five years under a Pentagon
plan offered as part of a potential deal with the Taliban to end the nearly
18-year war. Notably, the war in Afghanistan is America’s longest military
intervention which has cost Washington nearly US $.1.7 trillion. Hence,
positive shift in America’s policy
towards Islamabad,
seeking cooperation and re-establishing
the association can be seen at present.
It is notable
that in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack in the Indian Occupied Kashmir
and escalation of tension between Pakistan and India, on February 28, this
year, US President Trump said that Pakistan-India tension would de-escalate
soon—the United States had been mediating between the two sides and trying to
have them stop. Trump also acknowledged that Washington has improved her
relations with Islamabad shortly. Especially, American State Department deputy
spokesperson Robert Palladino stated on March 5, 2019 that Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo played an essential role in de-escalating tensions between India
and Pakistan. The fact is that Washington knows that a war between two nuclear
countries will also eliminate India.
It is worth-mentioning that the incoming
Commander of the United States Central Command (US CENTCOM) General Kenneth F.
McKenzie Jr. called on Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Prime Minister House on
April 8, this year. The two dignitaries discussed the Pak-US relations and the
ongoing Afghan peace talks, among other matters. One day ago, General McKenzie
Jr. met with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa. The two top commanders
discussed the geo-strategic environment and regional security. The discussion
also included Afghanistan and the recent standoff between the Pakistani and
Indian militaries.
The meeting with
Gen. Bajwa is important from two perspectives. One, it is important that
America’s new military leadership interacts with its Pakistan counterpart.
Pakistan and the US military feel pride on carrying personal ties and direct
communication lines which have served well in the past. Second, Pakistan and
the US’s military to military ties remain significant when it comes to the US
and Pakistan’s bilateral relationship. Even when the America’s political
leadership targets Islamabad, the US military is believed to have retained
different policy towards Pakistan. For instance, it has been reported that
Trump’s decision to stop Pakistan’s military training program was disapproved
by the Pentagon. However, the high level meeting shows that the US considers
Pakistan a strategic actor in Afghanistan and South Asia. Pakistan should use
such meetings to make its position clear on India’s efforts to destabilize the
region.
Despite
improvement in the Pak-US relations, Pakistan cannot trust on America on
permanent basis, as the US is still pursuing paradoxical policy in connection
with Pakistan by preferring New Delhi at the cost of Islamabad.
Sajjad Shaukat
writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic
Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International
Relations
Email:
sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
