Asif urges US to stop listening to ‘failed generals’ on Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Wednesday it was ready to help the US in Afghanistan but would not act as the proxy for any county and urged Washington to get input from politicians and experts rather than the generals, who had already failed in the war-torn country.

In a policy statement in the Senate, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said the US has provided Islamabad a list of 75 wanted persons, which did not include a single Pakistani citizen, while Pakistan has given a list of 100 criminals to the US and Afghanistan.

On Tuesday Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani summoned the foreign minister to take upper house of Parliament into confidence over US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Rabbani was irked by Tillerson’s remarks in Kabul on Monday in which he asked Pakistan to act on US demands.

There is huge trust deficit between Pakistan, US over Afghan conflict: Khawaja Asif

Asif told the house there was no Pakistani national in the list of 75 wanted persons provided by the US. “No Pakistani national, including Hafiz Saeed, is in this list,” he said, adding that the Haqani network is on the top and some were shadow governors of Taliban. “Many on the list are not alive,” he said.

He added Pakistan had also handed a list of 100 people wanted by Islamabad to the US and Afghanistan and it had been conveyed to the President Donald Trump’s administration that any Indian role in Afghanistan would not be acceptable to Pakistan.

Speaking about the talks with Tillerson on Tuesday, the foreign minister said that the US had been negotiating with Taliban but remained inflexible when it came to Haqqani network. Pakistan, he said, had assured the US of taking action “if it provides credible information” against the Haqqani network.

“We have neither surrendered nor [do we] take any dictation from US. We will not compromise on our national interest. For the first time all institutions of Pakistan have jointly conveyed this to the US in one huddle,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s civil and military leadership’s joint meeting with Tillerson.

“We do not need any aid,” the foreign minister told the senators. “We want relations with the US on the basis of mutual respect. We are ready to help the US in Afghanistan but we would not become anyone’s proxy,” he added.

Commenting on the lingering war in Afghanistan, Asif said that the US must look inward and analyse what it has gained in the country after such a long war. He added the US Central Command (CentCom) and the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) could not meet with success in Afghanistan.

On the contrary, the minister added, Pakistan remained successful in the war against terrorism because of unmatched sacrifices rendered by its civilians and the law-enforcement personnel. “We have made our country safe and secure after great sacrifices by our security forces and the people of the country.”

The minister believed that the Afghan government was acting as facilitator of India against Pakistan. “It has also been conveyed to the Trump administration that any Indian role in Afghanistan would not be acceptable to Pakistan,” he added.

He said terrorists did not need to use Pakistani land when they had enough space available in Afghanistan.

“The Afghan administration does not have control on 45% of the country, where Da’ish has taken its roots. This ungoverned area is more than enough for Da’ish and other terrorist organisations to find save havens.”

Asif accused the ruling class of neighbouring country of not being sincere in resolving the Afghan issue, saying that lawlessness favoured narcotics trade there. “Afghanistan should first put its own house in order and take responsibility of the failure,” he told the house.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan emphasised upon the US to try political solution in Afghanistan because the use of military power alone in the past has failed. “In the end, he said, the Afghan issue would be “resolved through dialogue”.

Khawaja Asif told senators Pakistan no more held any influence over the Afghan Taliban. There was time, he said, when Pakistan used to have that influence, “but now the group has found new people for their sustenance”.

He indirectly blamed the US for the diminishing of Islamabad’s influence over the Taliban, saying that when Pakistan brought the Taliban to the negotiating table two years ago, the effort was sabotaged by leaking the death of their supremo Mulla Omar.

Commenting on the new US strategy for South Asia, he said that policy for Afghanistan had been formulated by those generals who failed on the ground, but were not ready to accept the ground realities.

Minister added that Islamabad has urged the US to get input from politicians and experts instead of those failed generals, who would never “formulate a policy where they have to concede their humiliation”.

Hafiz Saeed’s name not on list of 75 militants handed over by US: Khawaja Asif

He said former military ruler General (now retired) Pervez Musharraf surrendered before the US demands after the September 11, 2001 attacks in Washington and New York. The former military dictator unabashedly admitted getting money in exchange for handing over people to the US.

“Compromises made by military dictators in the past are the reason for the situation Pakistan is mired in today,” he said. “Had Pakistan not volunteered in the so-called Afghan jihad [in the 1980s], Pakistan would not have faced this situation.” He added after the blunder of becoming a proxy in the Afghan jihad, another massive compromise was made following the 9/11 episode.

The minister informed the house that security arrangements for Tillerson’s visit to Pakistan was usual. However, he added, the situation was entirely different during his visit to Afghanistan where even President Ashraf Ghani had to come to Bagram Airfield. “In a country, where forces of 16 nations are deployed for some 18 years, he [Tillerson] did not feel safe to move out of the airbase.”

The minister said that following the ‘loud and clear message’ given by Parliament and the National Security Committee after the US President’s August 21 speech, there would be no compromise or surrender.

“We have also proposed to the US government for repatriation of Afghan refugees,” he said, adding that after the repatriation of the refugees and fencing on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, there would be a complete control over the cross-border movement of terrorists.

He said there were no accusations in Tillerson’s meeting with Pakistani leadership rather the US side made a request for cooperation. “Pakistan also pointed out that there were some other regional countries whose role was ‘absolutely indispensable’ in the peace efforts.

He particularly named Iran, China, and Russia among the influential countries. He said Pakistan wanted to repair its relations with US and bridge the trust deficit. He said Tillerson extended cooperation for reducing tension on Pakistan’s eastern border so that Pakistan could focus fully on its western border.

[WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP]

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