Trump links US presence in Afghanistan to Pak nukes

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump dropped his two cents about Pakistan’s nuclear capability and somehow linked it to the presence of US forces in Afghanistan.

Responding to a question on Afghanistan during the Republican presidential debate, Trump said that the US needs to stay in Afghanistan because its immediate neighbour, Pakistan, has nuclear weapons which have to be protected.

Apparently oblivious to the fact that the US has been eager to thin its presence in Afghanistan and seeking Pakistan’s help to bring peace to the region, Trump said, “I think you have to stay in Afghanistan for a while, because of the fact that you are right next to Pakistan, which has nuclear weapons, and we have to protect that.”

The Obama administration reduced the presence of American forces to fewer than 10,000 with an aim to bringing it further down to a little over5,000. The administration has declared that the mission of the remaining forces is to train, advise and assist Afghan counter-parts and not participate in any combat operations.

On the other hand, the United States has also expressed confidence, a number of times, in Pakistan's commitment and dedication to nuclear security and appreciation of Pakistan's efforts to improve its strategic trade controls. Even Pakistan's engagement with the international community on nuclear safety and security issues have been repeatedly recogniszed.

The State Department has made it public as well that the administration has been in regular discussions with the Government of Pakistan on a range of issues on important shared interests, including nuclear security, counter-terrorism and fostering a stable Afghanistan.

For a while, the administration has been encouraging Pakistan and India to have improved relations, but Trump has already suggested to bet India against Pakistan. In a radio interview in September last year he said, "You have to get India involved. India's the check to Pakistan."

Donald Trump has been gaining popularity among right wingers. Last week he came closer to the Republican nomination when he bagged seven out of the eleven states where Republicans were voting. Since then the Republican Party establishment has been weary of Trump's political successes and want to halt him believing that he's not a conservative but a showman.