ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has once again refused the United States’ proposal to launch a “joint operation” against the militants along the Pak-Afghan border, diplomatic sources said.
Senior officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation that the US was pressing Pakistan again for a joint operation in the tribal belt, which had not been accepted by Islamabad as yet.
One official said: “We have clearly told the US that such an operation will not be acceptable to Pakistan as it would harm the sovereignty of the country. They have been pressing for it for some months. There pressure is still there. We have made it clear that we do not need their [US] direct military presence for help.”
He added: “Pakistan has assured the US that action is being taken against the militants without any discrimination. We are taking action against the Haqqani Network too but they [the Haqqani Network] is based in Afghanistan. At this point the US is not satisfied with our anti-terror efforts.”
Earlier, US Acting Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells said her country had specific expectations from Pakistan to “help create conditions” that would help “bring Taliban to the negotiating table”.
This month, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi met Vice President Mike Pence in Washington but the interaction failed to bring desired results as Islamabad received an even harsher message from the US to “do a lot more”.
The US said Pakistan was headed towards the “right direction” but “a lot more needs to be done”.
Prime Minister Abbasi had held a meeting with Mike Pence in Washington on March 16 during his “private visit” - seen by many as a “secret official visit”.
An official statement after PM Abbasi’s meeting with Pence said: “Both the leaders discussed to find more ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.”
Later, Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the US State Department, said: “We have certainly seen Pakistan take some positive steps in the right direction, but a lot more needs to be done, in terms of Pakistan cracking down not just on the Taliban, but the Haqqani Network and other terror networks as well.”
She said: “Vice President Mike Pence met the Prime Minister Abbasi of Pakistan last week. They talked about the overall south Asia strategy, the administration’s south Asia strategy, and that’s one of the things that the vice president addressed with him. He [Pence] said the Government of Pakistan has to do more to address the continued presence of terrorism in Pakistan.”
Last month, the Financial Action Task Force discussed a US resolution to place Pakistan on the terrorist financing watch-list. The FATF’s official statement after the meeting did not mention Pakistan but it would still be included in the watch-list in June this year. Only Turkey supported Pakistan in the FATF meeting in Paris.
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohamed Faisal said Pakistan wanted to work with the US for global and regional peace.
“Pakistan is acting against the terrorists for its own sake. We have been sharing the details with the US. There are some policy decisions that have to be taken by the government,” he added.
Defence analyst and former Brigadier Aftab Afzal said Pak-US tension was a point of concern.
“Pakistan and the US should work for continuing and enhancing cooperation and efforts for the common objective of eliminating terrorism from the region,” he said.
Afzal said Pakistan and the US had common stakes in securing peace and security in Afghanistan for the long-term stability of the broader region.
He said Pakistan should also look for other options for its defence partnership and end dependency on the US.
“China and Russia are good options. We will have to get more close to these powers. Pakistan ties with Russia are improving, which is in the interest of our country,” Afzal remarked.