Dealing with the US

If there is one thing US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of a new South Asia policy has done, it is to unite everyone across the political spectrum in Pakistan. Following the government and the military’s rejection of the policy, both houses of parliament have now also unanimously come out against it. The National Assembly was particularly cogent in pointing out the many ways in which it is unacceptable. The resolution noted that the financial losses Pakistan has suffered as a result of the US invasion of Afghanistan far exceed the total aid we have been given; explained how inviting India to set up store in Afghanistan would destabilise the region and called for the Afghan government to take action against militants groups who use their bases there to carry out attacks in Pakistan. The National Assembly resolution offered some constructive steps, such as disallowing the US from using Pakistani territory and airspace for military purposes. That parliament has decided to voice its opinion on Trump’s policy is a positive sign. Our elected representatives should have an equal say in debating such matters, and to have unanimity gives added weight to our objections.

The National Security Committee is now formulating policy recommendations to determine Pakistan’s relations with the US going forward. But, justifiable though the anger with the US may be, it is an unfortunate reality that the global superpower still has to be dealt with. There are a few avenues of possible cooperation. Pakistan has maintained all along that the only way to end the war in Afghanistan is through a negotiated settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The US will inevitably fail to defeat the Afghan insurgency and at that point Pakistan will have leverage to bring everyone to the negotiating table. Till such time, though, Pakistan has no option but to treat the US as an unreliable force in the region, and any policy coming from the NSC will have to account for that. This means we should expect even greater Indian involvement in Afghanistan for the short term and try to protect against its inevitable attempts to create strife in Pakistan by strengthening our border.

While keeping lines of communications with the US open is still possible, the Americans have shown that they do not consider Pakistan a partner in peace. As such, we too have to make it clear that we feel that the US has a poor understanding of terrorism in our region. This is why both Pakistan and Afghanistan need to chart a new chapter in the ongoing war on terror – free from US influence and based on mutual trust. The trouble is that this is almost impossible for Afghanistan, given the large number of foreign troops still present on its soil and its reliance on foreign aid. Right now then, Pakistan’s focus needs to be on coming up with a way to fight terrorism decisively through our own strategies. This is our own priority – and has nothing to do with US interests.