Stringer Asia Logo
Share on Google+
news of the day
in depth
Pakistan facing anger and concerns of American and regional nations
  • President of US Donald Trump
    President of US Donald Trump
Pakistan faces a future based on isolation globally and regionally. As the world sees terrorist organizations active across Pakistan as a threat to global and regional peace.

The American President Donald Trump South Asia strategy, its focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan has caused anger among the religious political parties and the powerful military establishment. And the anger doubled when the matching remarks were made in the emerging economies association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa [BRICS">.

On August 21, 2017 while announcing his administration’s long waited South Asia strategy, President Trump concluded that “we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense.  Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world”, “Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror”.

On the other hand the same is mentioned in the BRICS declaration in their recent meeting in on September 4, 2017, Xiamen, China.

“We, in this regard, express concern on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban, ISIL/DAISH, Al-Qaida and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP and Hizb ut-Tahrir”.

Though most of the Pakistani analysts, expert and officials thought that China would be out for its security after the American president South Asia strategy but instead of covering Pakistan’s regional policy the BRICS declaration above has clearly mentioned the organizations active in Pakistan as point of concern.

While at the mean time the Pakistani security experts always commenting on such statements by the global powers and regional nations hoped that Pakistan’s elected officials especially the Premier and Foreign Minister would make stronger reaction to the Donald Trump strategy and BRICS declaration. But commenting on BRICS the Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif told in a Foreign Ministers conference in China that we should keep “our house in order”. That shows a clear stamp on the existence of world banned organizations active from the Pakistani soil.

This not only show the Pakistani government isolation in the international community, but as well at home where the military establishment is thought to be controlling the country’s foreign policy toward Afghanistan, India and Iran.

The Pakistani parliamentarians and political parties have always asked for a foreign policy made inside the parliament and approved by the elected MPs of Pakistan. And nothing such comes into their hands when the hidden hands in the country’s foreign policy play their role. Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the veteran politician and MP from Balochistan have told parliament that a foreign policy created by some generals and bureaucrats would only bring home hatred from the neighboring countries [Afghanistan, India and Iran"> and would as well escalate tensions and isolation for the country regionally and globally. Pakistan has a democratically elected parliament, every institution including army, judiciary should work in their circles in the light of constitution and parliament should remain the supreme institution as it is representing 200 million people of Pakistan.

Though, right after the United States strategy and the BRICS declaration the Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Naveed Bajwa told that “world” should do more for eradicating terrorism we have done enough. And mentioning a reply to the American South Asia Policy indirectly he told that we do not need aids.

`Despite all our efforts, our countless sacrifice and over decades of war, we are being told that we have not done enough against terrorism,` the army chief said, as quoted by DAWN news. `If Pakistan has not done enough in this war, then no country in the world has done anything,` he angrily expressed his views while talking to the gathering on 6th September as Pakistan’s Defense Day.

A clear divide of the elected government and army establishment though doesn’t come in news is existing the strong comments both in the Donald Trump South Asia Strategy and the BRICS meeting shows the agreement of elected government to these concerns. While the Army establishment has got angered as if world is surfacing the commitment, sacrifices, operations and arrest of terrorists across the country and always demand “do more” from Pakistan.

It all happens in a time when the Pakistan most trusted ally who will be investing more than 50 billion dollar worthy project on China Pakistan Economic Corridor, agreement to the regional and global allies concern about Pakistan shaky role in tackling terrorism.
Malik Achakzai
@COOKIE1@
@COOKIE2@