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Pakistan's dilemma in dealing with the US
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IANS | 25 Sep, 2021
Last few months and especially the last few weeks after the withdrawal
of US troops from Afghanistan, Pakistan's lies have been revealed time
and again.
Islamabad has been consistently denying its close
association with the Taliban and Pakistani officials have avoided
responding to queries regarding the large number of Taliban leaders who
have traditionally been trained in Pakistan-based seminaries and lived
in the country.
At the same time, whenever the Taliban adopts a
soft diplomatic stance and attempts to reach out to other countries,
Pakistan does not lose the opportunity to forewarn their leaders that
they cannot go their own way especially after having been fed and hosted
in Pakistan all these years.
The reality of Pakistan's
association with the Taliban, especially with senior Taliban
leaders,some of who have worked closely with the Pak establishment/ISI,
and their linkages with terror entities such as the Al Qaeda and the
Islamic State (IS) has been known to those closely following the
terrorism matrix.
The international community,especially the
Western forces led by the US deployed in Afghanistan over the years,
have clarity on the extent and degree of synergy that exists between the
ISI and senior Taliban leaders.
Moreover, in the latest turn of
events,where one witnessed Pakistan's brazen handling of the political
dynamics in Afghanistan, leaves no room for any doubt about Pakistan's
close association with the Taliban. Indeed, it is a challenging task for
Pakistani officials to pursue the middle path with their hand in every
political maneuvering undertaken by the Taliban while simultaneously
having to deny any close association with the Taliban. However,
Pakistani officials are adept at playing this duplicitous game
considering this has been an inherent part of their strategic maneuvres
in Afghanistan.
Such traits are also visible among the senior
leadership in the Pakistani establishment. One recently witnessed a
complete turnaround by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who at one stage was
critical of US withdrawal from Afghanistan and even resorted to use of
strong language stating that "Pakistan has been used and exploited by
the US".
Khan has also said in interviews that US President Joe
Biden cannot be as busy to avoid speaking to him telephonically. Such
sarcastic remarks have been made vis-a-vis the US by a number of other
Pakistani leaders as well.
However, upon landing in the US, Khan
changed his tone and tenor when he claimed that the US withdrawal was
indeed justified, and that the criticism of Biden on this issue was "not
warranted".
This indicates that while Pakistan has been
portraying that it has been agitated with the cold shouldering by the
US, at the same time they cannot do without the US when it comes to
dealing with Afghanistan. Moreover, Pakistan realises that any
distancing from the US would dampen all prospects of international
recognition of the Taliban government at different levels, including in
terms of foreign aid.
At the same time, the American
establishment cannot be oblivious of Pakistan's double dealing in
Afghanistan over the years. Former President Donald Trump had clearly
highlighted the Pakistani strategy in Afghanistan when he said at the
end of his tenure that "Islamabad had hurt the American troops by
playing between the US and the Taliban". This manipulative approach by
Pakistan in Afghanistan has built a strong narrative within the US
establishment that Pakistan should indeed face the consequences of the
duplicitous game they have played over the years with the US. In a way,
there is an overwhelming thinking in the US establishment that Pakistan
needs to bear the brunt of its own doing.
The Biden administration has rightly taken a hard stand against Pakistan ignoring the Pakistani leadership, including Khan.
Years
of presence in Afghanistan has given the US establishment enough food
for thought in terms of its dealings with Pakistan. The relationship
hinged on mutual benefit in as far as Afghanistan was concerned, though
the Americans feel that Pakistan resorted to a bitter game of truth and
lies with the US, which led to serious casualties among American
troops.
Inspite of the fair weather friend extending support and
assistance to Pakistan in Afghanistan, those in the Pakistani military
who have had years of close association with the US defence
establishment realise that there is need to engage the US in Afghanistan
nevertheless. Considering the US had over the years created an
extensive and well integrated operational infrastructure in Afghanistan
and has a better understanding of the security dynamics on ground there,
Pakistan would want the US to remain involved in Afghanistan in some
way or the other.
There appears to be a tacit understanding with
the Chinese on this issue, especially after the Chinese have begun to
realise that Afghanistan is not going to be a smooth sail. The
discussions to be held between the Pakistani and the US establishment on
the sidelines of the ongoing UN session would give some indication on
how the two sides coordinate their activities in the Afghan context.
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As on 13 Aug, 2022 |
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