Daily Times

It is clear that America is preparing India to reduce China’s influence in the region. The strategic importance of India in the American view that can better protect the US interests in the area and China’s rapid rise as a regional political and economic power with global aspirations is an important element in today’s strategic environment that has significant implications for the region and the world. China has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the US and field disruptive military technologies. US policy in South Asia is focused on reinvention of the region as a nuclear-free and democratic area. Pakistan’s nuclear capability and China’s nuclear and military dominance were the main concerns that somewhat provided common ground to the India-United States strategic partnership. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US and their agreement on the construction of six nuclear reactors in India by an American company, Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Westinghouse Electric Co, a US unit of Toshiba Corp, will also begin engineering and site-design work for the reactors. Modi’s visit is part of Barack Obama’s endeavour to pivot the US foreign policy towards Asia.

The US reiterates that Pakistan will have to take action against all Taliban groups that are operating on its soil and territory without discrimination, but it seems to ignore the fact that the most critical factor behind the reduction in terrorist violence is the North Waziristan operation. The Tehreek-e-Taliban and other terrorist groups were cleared from their last remaining stronghold in the tribal areas. There have been operations in Karachi and northern Balochistan on a very large scale where there have been preexisting security challenges. 3,400 terrorists have been killed, and 837 hideouts from where they were carrying out their terrorist activities destroyed. The Operation Zarb-e-Azb got acknowledgement and praise from various leaders and forums throughout the world. They appreciated the successes of Zarb-e-Azb and Pakistan’s efforts for
regional stability.

The operation in Karachi has resulted in restoring a state of relative peace to the city that it had not seen in decades. This same operation has expanded into Balochistan, combating the insurgencies that were foreign-sponsored, and strengthening the process of resolving disputes with the local fighters. The Balochistan insurgency has faced significant defeats and surrenders of many of their most senior commanders and fighters, as the army and paramilitary forces deepened their resolve to end this conflict. Moreover, the arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav, an Indian Navy officer, allegedly working for the Indian RAW inside Balochistan, has reportedly led to the collapse of a massive network of over 50 Indian operatives and 700 Pakistanis.

These would be considered operational successes, and reasons to continue the support to Pakistan’s military. For the US, Pakistani lives may be meaningless and worthless, but to every Pakistani mother and father, those lives are their futures, and as a nation, it is our national duty to protect them.

From the appointment of the Karzai government to regular reports of massive corruption within the country, Afghanistan continues to be an experiment in US foreign policy. At no point could it have been said that Afghanistan was on the path to stability, and to blame it partly on Pakistan is without merit. As per some analysts of the regional of the geopolitical dynamics, anti-Pakistan position was reinforced with the influx of Indian investments into all sectors of the Afghanistan economy. Afghanistan itself has shown no serious interest in being a partner for peace with Pakistan. Media outlets in the US have come up with a label for Pakistan: “duplicitous partner.” Indeed, Pakistan takes care of its interests before considering the interests of any foreign nation, and that is something any nation would do. Pakistan has shown amazing restraint in not carpet-bombing terrorist safe havens in Khost and Nuristan; collateral damage of loss of innocent lives is something that must be avoided. Pakistan has also been embroiled in dealing with its own internal problems, as it has myriad security issues within Pakistan.

Pakistan and China continued their efforts in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, even when there was a flare-up by Afghanistan. Pakistan hosted a meeting in Murree in 2015 with the representatives from China and Afghanistan to bring the Taliban to process of negotiations. The next second time when the meeting was to be held in Pakistan, news of Mullah Omar’s death emerged, and there was crisis among the ranks of the Taliban. For every bit of turmoil that is going on within Afghanistan regarding the Taliban should not be blamed on Pakistan. It is not only Pakistan’s responsibility to bring them to the negotiating table. Peace in Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan anyway; therefore, it is pointless to always blame Pakistan for not doing enough. Pakistan has already sacrificed with so many families losing their loved ones in war against terrorism; no effort to fight terrorism should be taken for granted.

Whatever happens in Afghanistan Pakistan is the one that is blamed for that without taking into consideration the fact that Pakistan has put in so much effort for peace and stability in Afghanistan. But sadly, that has never been given any importance. Islamabad can put pressure on the Taliban leadership to agree to peace talks, but it cannot negotiate on behalf of the Afghan government. The image that has been given to the entire world that Pakistan has control over Taliban is mere propaganda. There are unrealistic expectations from Pakistan, and when those expectations are not guaranteed there is always a blame game going on the other side. The US has been accusing Pakistan for not acting against militants; the US is also making a tilt towards India. On the other hand, the US has an agreement with India on civil nuclear cooperation, but it refuses to offer Pakistan a similar deal. After the Cold War era, US and India started working on their relationship and widened the scope of cooperation and exchanges. The US considers India as a more important partner in political, strategic and economic sense.

What we need to do is to keep our national interest on the top of our priority list; we need to be careful about our relations with neighbouring and other states; and we need to revise our foreign policy. Pakistan’s ties with the Muslim world especially the Middle Eastern countries are an important part of its identity and ideology-based foreign policy. A reason behind China’s investment in strategically placed Pakistan has much to do with its revised approach to foreign policy.

The writer is a Peshawar-based freelance columnist