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If attitude didn't change...: Pakistan’s aid and status as non-Nato ally can be put on table, says US

By Wajid Ali Syed
August 24, 2017

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned on Tuesday that Pakistan’s privileged status as a major non-Nato US ally could be in question if it does not change its course from the past.

"We have some leverage," Tillerson told reporters, "in terms of aid, their status as a non-Nato alliance partner -- all of that can be put on the table." During a press briefing held at the State Department to expand on Trump's Afghanistan and South Asia strategy, Tillerson conditioned the US support to Pakistan saying, "Pakistan must adopt a different approach, and we are ready to work with them to help them protect themselves against these terrorist organisations." Otherwise, Tillerson suggested, "we have some leverage that's been discussed in terms of the amount of aid and military assistance we give them, their status as a non-Nato alliance partner. All of that can be put on the table."

The US has been blaming Pakistan for providing safe havens to militant outfits. Tillerson hinted that this became the focal point of the new strategy that took months of deliberations. "We undertook a fairly comprehensive review of our relationships in Pakistan and our relationships with India. And we see this approach as requiring an integration of all three of those strategies, and use Pakistan, India to also bring pressure to bear on the situation in Afghanistan," he said.

He hammered out Islamabad's role to bring stability in Afghanistan by suggesting that, "Pakistan in particular can play an important role here, certainly in delivering the Taliban to the negotiating table." Once again, he highlighted that Pakistan suffered acts of terrorism. "We stand ready to help Pakistan address terrorist organisations inside of their country, but they must -- they must adopt a different approach themselves," he emphasised.

The secretary also acknowledged the strenuous relationship between the US and Pakistan and declared that the over the last few years there has been a real erosion in the confidence between the two governments. "There's been an erosion in trust because we have witnessed terrorist organisations being given safe havens inside of Pakistan to plan and carry out attacks against US servicemen, US officials, disrupting peace efforts inside of Afghanistan," he said, adding, "We are going to be conditioning our support for Pakistan and our relationship with them on them delivering results in this area. We want to work with Pakistan in a positive way, but they must change their approach."

While asking Pakistan to support the US efforts in Afghanistan and use its influence to deliver the Taliban to the negotiating table, Tillerson noted that the US will act as a facilitator. "We are there to facilitate and ensure that there is a pathway for reconciliation and peace talks," he said. "As the pressure begins to take hold, we believe we already know there are certain moderate elements of the Taliban who we think will be ready and develop a way forward."

Answering a question, Tillerson stressed that the US will "attack terrorists wherever they live, and we have put people on notice that if you are harbouring and providing safe havens to terrorists, be warned. Be forewarned. And we are going to engage with those who are providing safe haven and ask them to change what they're doing and help us help them." Not ruling out any unilateral strikes, he said, "The greatest benefactor, other than the Afghan people themselves, to achieve stability and peace in Afghanistan, are the people of Pakistan."

About the possible capacity and responsibility of the US military in Afghanistan, the secretary said, "The fighting will still be borne by the Afghan force, by their military and their security forces, but we believe that we can turn the tide of what has been a losing battle." Calling it the essence of the strategy, he repeated that the US will facilitate Afghan government and the Taliban to come to some conclusion around how they want to govern themselves. "But it’s is going to be up to the Afghan government and the representatives of the Taliban to work through a reconciliation process on what will serve their needs and achieve the American people's objectives, which is security," he said.