Specialists ask U.S. President to audit ties with Pakistan

The Obama administration’s attempt to make Pakistan change its strategic calculus by being generous towards it has failed and President Donald Trump must undertake a review of the U.S. relations with it, a group of South Asia experts said.

At a panel discussion following the release of a report prepared by these experts, Husain Haqqani, Director for South and Central Asia, Hudson Institute, Washington, said the U.S. had warned Pakistan in 1992 that its support for terrorism could lead to its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. However, the U.S policy over the decades has not prompted Pakistan to revise its support for jihadist groups, he said.

Mr. Haqqani, also a former Pakistan ambassador to the U.S., said the new administration must enforce aid conditions rather than give executive waivers, which has been the practice for long.

“The U.S. support to strengthen Pakistan military has only strengthened those elements that hope to wrest Kashmir from India through force,” he said.

“The U.S must be modest about its ability to defuse tensions between the two countries,” said Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow, Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation, one of the lead authors of the report. “The U.S. sets a trap for itself when it tries to balance its policies towards India and Pakistan. The U.S. should not view relations with India and Pakistan as a zero-sum proposition. I think the key is to maintain robust relations with both separately, based on the merits of each bilateral relationship,” said Ms. Curtis.

She added that the U.S. pursuit of even-handed policies in South Asia must not lead to a compromise in its anti-terrorism principles.

Ubaid - Ur-Rehman Nizamani, a senior diplomat at the Pakistani mission in Washington, said during the discussion that his country welcomed the report’s recommendation that the U.S. must treat India and Pakistan independent of each other, while objecting to what he termed other “sweeping conclusions.”

“Our security concerns are being portrayed as paranoia.”

Several pro-Pakistan participants at the event sought to question the report’s recommendations, which led to some unruly moments. While some persisted with statements about “Pakistan’s sacrifices” in the fight against terrorism, one attendee was escorted out of the room after he made unsavoury comments about Mr. Haqqani.

Earlier in the week, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan also called for a “holistic review” of U.S. relations with Pakistan. “We need to do a holistic review of our relationship with Pakistan. There are areas of common interest where we can work together. We want to achieve progress,” John Nicholson Jr. told a Senate Committee.

The General acknowledged that Pakistan’s support is crucial for the U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, but also noted that of the 98 U.S. designated terrorist groups globally, 20 operate in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.