Pakistan disappointed with US 'assertions'

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Welcoming deliberations in the U.S. Senate on the situation in Afghanistan and Pak-America relations, Islamabad on Monday said it was disappointed “with some of the assertions and insinuations” made in the recent discussions about terrorist safe havens in Pakistan.

“We feel (the assertions) are misplaced and not in sync with the current situation on the ground," Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nafees Zakaria said in a statement referring to U.S. senators' allegations regarding existence of safe havens for powerful Haqqani network in the country’s northwestern tribal belt.

“We welcome the sentiments of all those who have acknowledged Pakistani leadership’s commitment to supporting the realization of a stable and peaceful Afghanistan besides recognizing the complexities involved in achieving peace, stability and security in Afghanistan and expressing a desire to work with Pakistan to eliminate terrorism," the statement said.

“We are, however, disappointed with some of the assertions and insinuations made in the recent discussions about terrorist safe havens in Pakistan," the spokesman said reiterating Islamabad’s stand that it would not allow its soil to be used against any country.

The foreign ministry raised some key points, which according to it, should be taken into account in discussion on the future of Afghanistan and the way forward in Pakistan-U.S. relationship, which appeared to be at a low ebb in recent months due to differences between the two partners in so-called war on terror, over several issues, mainly on Afghanistan.

“Pakistan chose to stand with the international community for a common cause following the tragic attacks of 9/11 and has paid a staggering human and financial cost. This has also been Pakistan’s longest war costing over 60,000 fatalities and $118.3 billion in resources. Pakistan alone has lost more soldiers in this fight than the number of soldiers from all the 40 coalition partner countries combined. Pakistan has undertaken this momentous effort, while hosting one of the largest refugee populations in the world and operating under the limitation of an unregulated border," the spokesman further said.

He observed that the decade-long military operations in northwestern tribal region near Afghanistan border and especially the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb, or "strike of the sword" had been successful in destroying and eliminating the command and control structure of terrorist outfits operating from Pakistan-Afghan border.

“The discussions speak of a multiplicity of factors both military and non-military that contribute to the existing stalemate in Afghanistan. Therefore, singling out Pakistan and pinning the entire blame on Pakistan for the situation in Afghanistan is neither fair nor accurate, nor is it borne out by the ground realities," Zakaria went on to say.

In the absence of a sincere review of the past mistakes, recycling old strategies would not produce new results, he opined adding that the practice of pointing fingers elsewhere had not helped Afghanistan in the past nor would it promote its interests in the future.

“Pakistan has consistently called for a negotiated peace settlement in Afghanistan, which remains the responsibility of all parties to the conflict," he added.

“Terrorist groups attacking Pakistan have found safe havens in Afghanistan. The nexus between ISIS and TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan) is also a source of deep concern for Pakistan. We need to prevent the emergence of new and more virulent entities committed to spreading chaos and insecurity in the region. This calls for closer cooperation based on confidence and trust. Pointing fingers and throwing blame at others would be unhelpful and counter-productive," Zakaria maintained.