It is an interesting issue to keep eyes on, probably the world is but at the same time it surely is a confusing one too. Peace in South Asia has to come, all efforts being made for its gradual occurrence but the way states are torn apart due to pressures and self interests really confuses the state of affairs around here.
Pakistan has a strategic importance due to which Mr.Obama said as his answer to an Indian girl over why Pakistan is not termed as a terrorist state by the US. Pakistan has all the pressures to do more, cooperate, curb terrorist networks in Pakistan, back policies for Afghanistan and what not! Even working on these terms blames and harsh comments are aired every now and then against Pakistan. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates states that US has no plans to send troops into Pakistan. Agrees that US is impatient and himself tells that Pakistan has put 140,000 troops on its Western borders to fight Taliban and other terrorists networks. Something if told to him 2 years back he won’t believe. It was also interesting to learn from his statements at the discussion at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO council meeting that Pakistan had withdrawn six divisions from the Indian Border to deal with this problem. Yet, Pakistan’s presence was invisible in the Nato Lisbon Summit, while discussing Afghanistan.
US wants India, Pakistan to support a transition in Afghanistan in view of its new Afghanistan strategy but still the Lisbon Summit, billed as the most important meeting in the 61-year history of the alliance failed to give Pakistan its due credit and role. Pakistan is needed for cooperation on bringing stability to Afghanistan by the US yet its presence was ‘uninvited and invisible’ generally in the summit.
It is also interesting to hear the rare confession of Nato’s senior civilian representative to Afghanistan Mr. Mark Sedwill that talks with the Haqqani network weren’t going well as “the kind of demands they are making cannot be met by any Afghan government”. So that explains how difficult the talks and fulfilling demands are and hence even aren’t as easy thing for Pakistan. Yet Mr.Sedwill has to say that ‘scale and pace of transition’ would depend upon on quickly Pakistan ends the terrorist sanctuaries in its tribal areas.
Earlier this year, Afghanistan had a major policy shift deciding to send officers to Pakistan for training as the major commitment Nato is expecting from its member countries is training programme. The pilot programme could not take place because of fears in Afghanistan and the West that the move may annoy Indians.
Wow! The US really thinks about not to annoy the Indians and has plans to include India later on as a permanent member of the Security Council but conveniently forgets to consider Pakistani sentiments at all. These confused moves and statements about knowing Pakistan is doing a lot which they might not believe if told to them 2 years back and are just impatient, knowing talks aint easy and demands unacceptable to meet, yet putting the increased continuous pressure that Pakistan should do more and back US strategies, cooperate with India and help in the reconciliation process to make peace in Kabul are the most weirdest, strangest contradictory statements to hear!
They surely annoy the Pakistani sentiment a lot. The country is struggling with internal issues yet doing its best as an international responsibility but decisions made are just so bias. Pakistan is taken so much for granted. I don’t think anything would work out for Afghan, War on terror, India, Taliban, etc if Pakistan is not given it’s due share of respect and importance. Underestimating Pakistan and taking it for granted would only give rise to resistance and hatred among the Pakistani who would not want to pursue US policies which fail to acknowledge any Pakistani interests or security and peace to its people. These controversial statements surely demotivate Pakistan to comply with working for peace in the given scenarios. I don’t blame you Pakistani government, we put in a tough dilemma among such confusing state of affairs.
valid points :)
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