Pak-US trust deficit
Sajjad Shaukat
Trust deficit has deepened
between Pakistan and the US since May 21, 2016, when the CIA-operated
drone strike killed the Chief of the Afghan Taliban Mullah Akhtar
Mansour in Nushki, Balochistan. On June 10, this year, a high-level
delegation of the US visited Islamabad and met Pakistan’s Chief of the
Army Staff Gen. Raheel Sharif and Adviser to the Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz Adviser separately.
During the meeting, expressing his serious concern on the US drone
strike in Balochistan as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, Chief of
Army Staff, Gen. Raheel Sharif highlighted as to how it had impacted
the mutual trust and was counterproductive in consolidating the gains of
Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Gen. Raheel Sharif by elaborated, “All
stakeholders need to understand Pakistan’s challenges…inter-tribal
linkages and decades-old presence of over three million refugees…blaming
Pakistan for instability in Afghanistan is unfortunate…target TTP and
Mullah Fazlullah in their bases in Afghanistan…RAW and NDS are of
fomenting terrorism…Pakistan is committed to work for a long term peace
process for Afghanistan under Quadrilateral Coordination Group
framework.”
However, America’s open double
standards in relation to India and Pakistan and secret double game with
the latter have created unbridgeable trust deficit between Pakistan and
the US. The US has always preferred New Delhi over Islamabad. In
this context, during the recent visit of the Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to America, addressing the media jointly, Prime Modi said,
“I am thankful for the help and support that my friend Barack Obama has
extended with regard to India’s membership of the Missile Technology
Control Regime and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).”
America has been backing Indian
hegemony in Asia to counterbalance China. During President Obama’s
second visit to India, the US and India announced a breakthrough on a
pact which would allow American companies to supply New Delhi with
civilian nuclear technology,
as agreed upon in 2008. This duplicity has initiated a dangerous arms
race between Pakistan and India, and between China and India.
Setting aside the Indian irresponsible record of non-proliferation,
and safety of nuclear arms, Washington also pressurized the
International Atomic Agency (IAEA) to sign an accord of specific
safeguards with India. America had already contacted the NSG to grant a
waiver to India for starting civil nuclear trade on larger scale.
Undoubtedly, unlike India, Pakistan’s nuclear assets are in safe
hands—well-protected and are under tight security arrangements, having
the best command and control system. However, taking cognizance of the
US double standard, China and some responsible countries have decided to
oppose in the meeting of the NSG to grant a waiver to India in this
regard.
Nevertheless, after the latest incident of drone attack in
Balochistan, Afghan Taliban leaders refused to participate in the
US-sponsored talks with the Afghan government. Notably, in the recent
past, with the help of Pakistan, a series of meetings were held in
Islamabad and Kabul among the representatives of Pakistan, Afghanistan,
China and the US to develop an understanding for the earliest possible
resumption of stalled talks between the Afghan government and the
Taliban with view to ending nearly 15 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan.
It is mentionable that on January 13, 2015, at least seven personnel
of the Afghan security forces died during the suicide attack which
targeted the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad. The Islamic State group
(ISIS or ISIL) claimed responsibility for the terror assault which
coincided with efforts to restart the suspended peace process with the
Taliban. Indian secret agency RAW was behind this terror attack to
thwart these peace talks. Indian desperation in Afghanistan is
increasing in the backdrop of growing engagements of Islamabad, Kabul,
Beijing and Washington.
Therefore,
by arranging terror-assaults in Pakistan and Afghanistan, New Delhi is
also sabotaging the peace process between the Afghan officials and
representatives of Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan.
It is noteworthy that America is playing double game with Pakistan,
because it is the only nuclear country in the Islamic World, which
irritates America, India and Israel. Hence, American CIA, Israeli Mossad
and RAW which are well-penetrated in the ISIS, the Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) are using the militants of these terrorist outfits to
destabilize Tibetan regions of China, Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan and
Pakistan’s province of Balochistan by arranging the subversive
activities. In this connection, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) is their special target. Collectively or individually, these
intelligence agencies are also assisting Jundullah (God’s soldiers)—the
Sunni militant group which is active in Balochistan against Shias.
Based in the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan, Mullah
Fazlullah, chief of the TTP is running a parallel government in
Afghanistan. The militants of this outfit have their own legal system
and own authority, exercising strict control. In the recent years, when
the US-led NATO forces felt that they were failing in coping with the
stiff resistance of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the high officials and
media of their countries started accusing Pakistan’s army and country’s
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of supporting the Afghan Taliban in
order to pacify their public for the protracted war in that country,
which still continues. India avail the opportunity and also accused
Islamabad of cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan.
It is notable that Pakistan’s Armed Forces broke the backbone of the
militants through military operation Zarb-i-Azb—killing thousands of
insurgents including foreign terrorists, while, ISI and other
law-enforcing agencies captured several terrorists in various regions of
Pakistan. Taking note of the ground realities, the US and other Western
countries have begun appreciating the capabilities of Pakistan Army and
other security agencies.
Nonetheless,
the strikes by the drones which have continued in Pakistan’s tribal
areas since 2004 have intensified during the Obama era, and are clear
violation of international laws. Collateral damage caused by these
strikes also ignites violent and retaliatory sentiment among victims and
perpetuate extremist wave. We can conclude that the double standards
and double game of the US-led entities have created unbridgeable trust
deficit between Pakistan and the US.
—The writer is freelance columnist based in Lahore.
