And the war of words on terror continues

And the war of words on terror continues

Pakistan is in a delicate spot. On the one hand, the Donald Trump administration has enhanced pressure on the country to do more in fighting terrorism and on the other, the Afghan government continues to accuse it of harbouring terrorists.

In Islamabad, policymakers are holding extensive discussions on how to convince the U.S. to tone down its belligerent stance. “The U.S. cannot succeed in Afghanistan without our help. We are trying to convince the Trump administration to talk to us instead of bullying us. It won’t serve anyone’s purpose,” a senior government official told The Hindu.

Military commanders met in the General Headquarters while a special national security committee also met at Parliament this week. A participant at the parliamentary committee meet said that the leadership knows it is walking a tightrope. “We don’t want to annoy the U.S. yet want the pressure deflected. We are trying to evolve consensus . Several proposals are under consideration,” he said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said in Washington at a Senate briefing that Pakistanis have engaged in discussions with the U.S. but there hasn’t been sufficient action to entail a lifting of suspension on security assistance.

The Trump administration, in the meantime, has resumed drone strikes on alleged safe havens in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. “President Trump is making it clear to our allies that they cannot be America’s friend while supporting or condoning terror,” a White House statement said last week. The U.S. has already suspended security assistance to Pakistan.

Increasing mistrust Meanwhile, the mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan has also peaked. Afghan media reported that President Ashraf Ghani had last week refused to attend a telephone call by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. However, later, Islamabad denied making any such call and Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal also denied knowledge of it.

Pakistani Foreign Office last week claimed that it had handed over 27 suspected terrorists to Afghanistan in November last year. Later, Afghan Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak and intelligence chief Masoom Stanekzai visited Islamabad to discuss cooperation in the wake of the recent spate of deadly attacks in Afghanistan. As soon as they returned to Kabul, they held a press conference alleging that orders from recent attacks had come from Pakistan. “Information gathered shows that attacks are being planned in Chaman area in Balochistan in Pakistan... the Afghan delegation to Pakistan has handed over a list of madrasas where attacks are being planned,” said Mr. Barmak. Also, as a possible measure to counter infiltration , the Pakistani military is at present working on a plan to fence the border with Afghanistan and build more than 150 small fort-like checkposts. The Afghan government, however, opposes the plan as it will normalise the controversial Durand Line, which Kabul does not recognise.

Keeping up the pressure, several Western diplomats have met senior Pakistani officials in the past few weeks, asking Islamabad to review its strategy, including that of mainstreaming militant groups like the Jamaat-ud-Dawa. A Western diplomatic source has claimed that the U.S. may consider putting sanctions on some retired and serving military personnel if Pakistan did not review its policy. “As many as 70 retired and serving military personnel can come under sanctions if Pakistan does not cooperate to get the Haqqani network,” he said.