Pentagon has decided to withhold $50million that was to be paid to Pakistan as a part of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). This has been done on the basis that the US Congressional Committee has not been able to verify Pakistan’s effort against the Haqqani network. However, Miss Robin Rapheal (former assistant secretary of state for South Asia) pointed out that the statement is an exaggeration of the actual dynamics at a seminar in the US where the Afghan ambassador Hamdullah Mohib was present. She was of the view that the reason why there is delay at Pakistan’s end is because the US has not been able to provide a clear-cut policy. She also corrected Afghanistan when their ambassador tried to exaggerate the current situation and portray Pakistan as the troublemaker.
Sadly, she is just one sane voice in the American cacophony of conservative fear mongering and simple-minded congressmen, who think that attacking Pakistan will fix anything when it comes to the War on Terror. A senior official at the Foreign Ministry told The Nation on Saturday that Washington was clearly standing with New Delhi and Kabul downplaying Islamabad’s efforts for regional peace. US is calling on Pakistan to improve ties with Afghanistan and, as if Pakistan had ever alleged that it had less than peaceful intentions with the two countries; one war-torn and looking for a villain, the other unwilling to even sit down and talk about the mutual crises. India has promised China to hold talks with Pakistan after they offered to help in the Kashmir issue, but considering India’s past of reneging on such promises, it seems unlikely.
Afghanistan as well, under the influence of India is a country, which cannot afford to alienate Pakistan. Does the Afghan government really think that a foe like the Taliban would look kindly to Indian interferences? Their bandwagoning to India is such a ridiculously self-destructive strategy, that only an American still intellectually stuck in the Cold War era could come up with such a scheme that sees China as an enemy to “balance”.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack that targeted a bus carrying government workers on Monday that resulted in 42 deaths. These unfortunate attacks are not Pakistan’s fault, and until India is present in Afghanistan, it is doubtful that the country will be able to move to stability.
Afghanistan has no right to label the Pakistani military as extremist and one that supports attacks in Afghanistan. It is just bad diplomacy, and worse foreign policy.