Pakistan dreads abrupt US pullout

[sonicboom]

Pakistan dreads abrupt US pullout


ISLAMABAD: As the Obama administration prepares to review the Afghanistan-Pakistan policy later this month, Pakistan fears the US may abruptly pullout of Afghanistan, leaving the region ‘high and dry’ like it did over two decades ago.

The military establishment and policymakers at the Foreign Office believe the US was ‘bogged down’ in Afghanistan and doesn’t know how to take the nine-year-old battle to its logical conclusion. The assessment was shared with Washington ahead of the review talks.

“We understand the US has made a long-term commitment, but the situation on the ground may force the Obama administration to repeat the mistakes of the past,” remarked a senior foreign ministry official.

The Americans have often been accused of abandoning the region in haste in the mid-80s following the withdrawal of the forces of the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

The current US administration acknowledges the mistake and has promised a long-term stay in the region. However, despite the commitment, Pakistan is still sceptical.

The scepticism stems from the fact that Pakistan and the US do not share common views on some major issues.

The recently leaked US diplomatic cables also confirm that cooperation between the two countries in the war on terror is often marred by mistrust.

“We are not being kept in the loop by the US on the situation in Afghanistan,” disclosed a military official. But this is not Pakistan’s only worry.

In the recent US mid-term elections, foreign policy issues, including Afghanistan, were completely out of the map.

Although White House insists that the battle against extremism is vital, Americans are raising questions about fighting a war whose end is not foreseeable.

Interaction with US Congressmen and think-tanks during a recent visit by The Express Tribune to Washington revealed that the American public is more concerned about its economy than the foreign policy. And there is a reason.

“You may be shocked to know that the US is facing a record deficit of over $1,500 billion and people are asking why we are spending billions of dollars in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan,” a US congressman told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.

The situation may compel President Barak Obama to withdraw from Afghanistan ahead of the scheduled pull-out in 2014 he announced at the recently held Nato summit in Lisbon, he cautioned. “This is our biggest nightmare,” remarked a military official.

“If that happens, it will leave a devastating impact on the entire region… and we have conveyed this to the Americans,” he added.

Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit confirmed that Pakistan had handed over proposals to the White House hoping to be included in the forthcoming policy review by President Obama. However, he declined from sharing further details.

Pakistan dreads abrupt US pullout – The Express Tribune