WASHINGTON: The United States sought Wednesday to win firmer backing from Islamabad in fighting terror by pledging to “significantly expand support” for Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation wary of US actions.
Just after US President Barack Obama announced he would send 30,000 more troops to neighboring Afghanistan, Islamabad asked Washington to help ensure “there would be no adverse fallout on Pakistan.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, testifying to lawmakers Wednesday about the Obama administration’s new strategy, vowed not to repeat past US mistakes that have allowed extremists to thrive in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“The extremists we are fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan have attacked us and our allies before,” Clinton told the Senate Armed Services committee.
“If we allow them access to the very same safe havens they used before 2001, they will have a greater capacity to regroup and attack again,” she said.
“The case for action against Al-Qaeda and its allies has always been clear, but the United States’ course of action over the last eight years has not,” she said, alluding to the war in Iraq launched by President George W. Bush.
With the United States distracted, “the Taleban gained momentum in Afghanistan,” the chief US diplomat said. She warned of the new dangers from the Taleban and Al-Qaeda which are now encamped in the border regions of Pakistan, which she recalled has a nuclear arsenal.
Pakistan has raised fears that an influx of soldiers into Afghanistan could again push militants over the border, destabilizing an already-troubled region, and such fears tempered Islamabad’s reaction to Obama’s announcement.
A Foreign Ministry statement Wednesday said the US must work with Islamabad to ensure “there would be no adverse fallout on Pakistan.”
“Pakistan and the US need to closely coordinate their efforts to achieve shared objectives. There is certainly the need for clarity and coordination on all aspects of the implementation of the strategy,” it said. The statement made no mention of welcoming the troop increases, which many fear could be counterproductive for Pakistan.
