Encouraging signs

The first visit of US officials to Pakistan since President Donald Trump announced his provocative war strategy for Afghanistan has coincided with a sudden uptick in relations between the two countries. A day before a delegation from the US State and Defense Departments reached Islamabad, a Pakistan Army operation rescued a Canadian-American couple and three of their children. The couple had been kidnapped in 2012 by the Haqqani Network while they were hiking in Afghanistan. The rescue mission is believed to have been spurred by a tip from the US and even led Trump to tweet thanks for Pakistan’s cooperation.    DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor echoed that in a press conference, saying Pakistan was happy with the trust shown in it by the US while confirming we would never allow joint operations on our soil.        With US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defence James Mattis due to visit the country soon, there is now an opportunity to push further and sort out other differences. The rescue operation is important as it demonstrates the US was mistaken to blame Pakistan for its lack of action against militants based in the country. It also shows that cooperation is a preferable alternative to unilateral drone strikes. Working together effectively can only help reduce the lack of trust on both sides – something that will continue to exist despite these recent improvements in ties. The US will still expect much more from Pakistan but our tough stance after the Afghanistan speech has shown the Trump administration that we are open to a working relationship but will not roll over.

Indeed, a working relationship is the best the two countries can hope for right now. It was only recently that the US unnecessarily inserted itself into the CPEC debate when Mattis said the One Belt, One Road initiative goes through disputed territory. He was obviously referring to Gilgit-Baltistan, an area that is disputed by no one except the Indians, who want to distract international attention from their own occupation of Kashmir. The US is trying to undermine CPEC, which not only increases the soft power of its rival China but also gives it less leverage over countries like Pakistan. Now that Pakistan has shown the US that it will not be pressured, we should use the upcoming meetings with Tillerson and Mattis to push for a political settlement in Afghanistan and argue against giving India a greater role. The last 16 years have shown there can be no military victory for any side. It is only by coming to the negotiating table, with neighbours like Pakistan on board, that there will be any hope for peace in Afghanistan. The Trump administration is yet to be convinced of that truth but for now the hope is that with the lines of dialogue open, Pakistan will at least have an opportunity to have its case heard.