During the weekly briefing, the spokesperson of foreign office, said that the recent engagements between the officials of Pakistan and USA has been productive for bilateral relationship. He said these developments from both sides have yielded positive results especially owing to the visit of US delegation to Pakistan and the meeting between PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and US Vice President Mike Pence. He said the recovery of abducted American couple is an example of trust and cooperation between these two countries. He also appreciated the statement of US President Donald Trump in which he indicated that relations with Pakistan have started to get better.
The positive signals that emanated from Washington after the recovery of Abducted American couple was a momentary gesture and it should not be clubbed with other development indicating the sign of improvement in Pak-US relations. Perhaps the foreign office has overlooked the CIA Director Mike Pompeo mischievous statement in which he claimed that US-Canadian hostages kidnapped by militants in Afghanistan were kept in Pakistan for five years. It imply that terrorists safe heavens still exist in the tribal areas of Pakistan, whereas the hostages were kept in Afghanistan and US forces failed to secure their release despite their military might and latest warfare technologies. It was the US who provided the intelligence about the likely shifting of these hostages to a location in Kurram Agency No sooner did the militants entered Pakistan’s territory with hostages; our security forces promptly went into commando action and secured the safe release of the abducted Canadian-American couple along with their children. The couple had been kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012 and remained in the captivity of militants there for five years during which their children were conceived and born.
US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity have said there was no indication that the hostages had been in Afghanistan in the days before they were freed. The officials said the United States believed the hostages were probably held by Haqqani militant group in or near it’s headquarter in northwestern Pakistan the entire time. This sort of twisted logic reveals that trust deficit is still deep in Pak-US relations.
According to a report published in Hindustan Times, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will embark on a crucial trip to Pakistan and India next week. His inaugural visit is viewed as a reaffirmation of Trump’s administration strategy towards South Asia. In Islamabad he will meets senior Pakistan leaders to discuss President Donald trump South Asian policy. Before his upcoming visit to the federal capital, what does this blame game signify? Does it means to pressurize Pakistan government to dictate the terms which may run contrary to our national interest? Why the American leadership is not convinced about the fact that after the completion of military operation Zarb Azb in FATA, no safe heavens or sleeper cells exist in Pakistan. In this multi polar world, gone are the days of American tactics of arm twisting and stick poking. Pakistan will no longer bow to the intimidation and baseless allegation of the US. This attitude of ungratefulness from the US will not be tolerated anymore as Pakistan is sovereign state and is capable to tackle any internal or external threats. America must accept their failures in Afghanistan and refrain from dumping them at the doorsteps of Pakistan. Our country has been successfully performing its role on war on terror and it is now for the US and its western allies to contribute their fare share in this long drawn war.
