“Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan”, says supreme security body of Pakistan
By Agha Iqrar Haroon
Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan has reacted sharply over the latest speech of US President Trump in which he claimed that Pakistan is housing terrorists.
The supreme body looking after the security of Pakistan –National Security Committee (NSC) has “out rightly rejected allegations and insinuations made against Pakistan by US President Trump and his administration”.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif who was scheduled to visit United States on the invitation of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also postponed his US visit for indefinite period.
At the political front, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi took Senate of Pakistan into confidence over new surge in US-Pak relations and stated that Pakistan played pivotal role against terrorism in the region and its sacrifices must be appreciated and honoured instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for errors and failures of those who are leading Afghan war.
National Security Committee (NSC) directed Foreign Minister of Pakistan to contact friendly countries and take them into confidence over recent surge in US-Pak relations and unshaken commitment of Pakistan against terrorism in the region.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office of Pakistan, National Security Committee (NSC) out rightly rejected the specific allegations and insinuations made against Pakistan. It was observed that to scapegoat Pakistan will not help in stabilizing Afghanistan. In fact, being its immediate neighbor, Pakistan has an abiding interest in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
It may be mentioned that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi along with Foreign Minister Kh. Asif held a half-day visit to Saudi Arabia yesterday and took Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman into confidence about what Pakistan is feeling after hearing blatant allegations of being a partner of terrorists by US President Trump. Pakistan always considers Saudi Arabia as closest friend in Middle East and a passage to US diplomatic doors.
Foreign Minister Kh. Asif in twitter message suggests United States to spend few billion and repatriate Afghan refugees from Pakistan.
100s of billions on Afgh war effort..instead spend few billion & repatriate refugees frm Pak & resettle in Afgh..will bring huge dividends
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) August 24, 2017
It may be mentioned that Pakistan is housing over three million Afghan refugees officially while unofficial figure is over 10 million. Pakistan invited Afghans as refugees when US-sponsored and Pakistan-led Afghan-Russo war started in since 1979. Since then, Afghans are refusing to go back to their country due to 38 year long civil war in Afghanistan. Now third generation of refugees is living in Pakistan.
The statement dually issued by Foreign Office and Prime Minister House Pakistan is hereunder:
The committee observed that Pakistan had to manage the blowback of a protracted conflict in Afghanistan that resulted in deluge of refugees, flow of drugs and arms and more recently in the shape of terrorist safe havens in eastern Afghanistan from where anti-Pakistan terrorist groups continue to operate and launch attacks inside Pakistan. The fact remains that the complex issues and internal dynamics inside Afghanistan pose a grave challenge not only to Pakistan but to the broader region and the international community.
While noting the US commitment to continue to shoulder the burden of Afghanistan and reverse the expanding ungoverned spaces in the country, the Committee observed that Pakistan has consistently supported all international efforts for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan and has also committed more than a billion US dollars for infrastructure and social development in that country.
Over the years, Pakistan has worked with both the United States and Afghanistan to promote peace through a politically negotiated outcome which, in Pakistan’s view, remains the best option to bring stability to this war torn country. A prolonged military campaign in Afghanistan has resulted in destruction and killing of hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians.
Pakistan has also endorsed and supported all Afghan owned and Afghan led initiatives for peace.
It is Pakistan’s expectation that any strategy adopted to stabilize Afghanistan will succeed to end this protracted conflict and usher in an era of peace in the country paving way for the dignified return of millions of Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan for which we are willing to extend all possible cooperation.
More specifically, we would like to see effective and immediate US military efforts to eliminate sanctuaries harboring terrorists and miscreants on the Afghan soil including those responsible for fomenting terror in Pakistan. The Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan.
On its own part, Pakistan has taken indiscriminate actions against all terrorist networks and sacrificed tens of thousands of troops and civilians in this fight. The demonstrated security improvement inside Pakistan would not have been possible without eliminating all terrorist hideouts. Moreover, successful cooperation with the US in the past against the common enemy, terrorism, reflects Pakistan’s unflinching commitment to eliminate this menace.
The committee stressed that instead of any financial or material assistance, there should be understanding and recognition of our efforts, contributions and sacrifices of thousands of Pakistanis and over 120 billion US dollars of economic losses. We consider the lives of the citizens of other countries as sacrosanct as those of our own and, therefore, Pakistan is committed to not allowing its soil to be used for violence against any other country. We expect the same from our neighbours. The claims of billions of Dollars in aid to Pakistan are also misleading to the extent that the reimbursements to Pakistan since 2001 only account for part of the cost of ground facilities and air corridors used by the United States for its operations in Afghanistan, rather than any financial aid or assistance.
Pakistan’s effective counter-terrorism operations have clearly proved that tide of terrorism can be reversed and we are willing to share our experience with both the US and Afghanistan. This would require working together and focusing on core issues of eliminating safe havens inside Afghanistan, border management, return of refugees and reinvigorating the peace process for a political settlement in Afghanistan.
The Committee stressed that India cannot be a net security provider in the South Asia region when it has conflictual relationships with all its neighbours and is pursuing a policy of destabilizing Pakistan from the east and the west. The Committee expressed deep concern at Indian policies inimical to peace in the region including interference in the internal affairs of neighbouring countries and using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. The Committee condemned state-inflicted repression on the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated Pakistan’s continued diplomatic, political and moral support for their struggle for self determination.
The Committee reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Committee underscored that as a responsible Nuclear weapon state, Pakistan has in place a robust and credible command and control system which has been universally recognized and appreciated.
Pakistan will continue to extend all possible cooperation to the international community for achieving the common objectives of peace and stability in Afghanistan and in the broader region.
Spokesman of Foreign Office of Pakistan in his twitter messages said:
Pakistan has taken indiscriminate action against all terrorist networks &sacrificed thousands of troops and civilians in this fight 6/9
— M. Nafees Zakaria (@ForeignOfficePk) August 24, 2017
NSC wants effective &immediate US military efforts 2eliminate terrorist sanctuaries in Afg incl. those responsible 4terrorism in Pakistan5/9
— M. Nafees Zakaria (@ForeignOfficePk) August 24, 2017
Pakistan has supported all international efforts for a peaceful Afghanistan &committed more than $1bn for Afghanistan's economic dev. 3/9
— M. Nafees Zakaria (@ForeignOfficePk) August 24, 2017
