US plans to hit Pak with drones, financial curbs

Washington, June 20: President Donald Trump’s administration is exploring hardening its approach toward Pakistan to crack down on Pakistan-based militants launching attacks in neighboring Afghanistan, two US officials told Reuters.

Potential Trump administration responses being discussed include expanding US drone strikes, redirecting or withholding some aid to Pakistan and perhaps eventually downgrading Pakistan’s status as a major non-Nato ally, the two officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Other US officials are skeptical of the prospects for success, arguing that years of previous US efforts to curb Pakistan’s support for militant groups have failed, and that already strengthening US ties to India, Pakistan’s arch-enemy, undermine chances of a breakthrough with Islamabad.

US officials say generally they seek greater cooperation with Pakistan, not a rupture in ties, once the administration finishes a regional review, due by mid-July, of the strategy guiding the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan.

The discussions include officials from across the Trump administration, including the White House and the defense department, both of which declined comment on the review before its completion.

“The US and Pakistan continue to partner on a range of national security issues,” Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

But Pakistan’s embassy in Washington warned against “scapegoating” Pakistan to explain the stalemate in Afghanistan, pointing instead to Afghanistan’s own troubled internal dynamics. It also noted past Pakistani efforts to battle militants and expressed willingness to work with the US and Afghanistan on border management. — Reuters

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.

— ABID SAEED, Press minister at Pak embassy in US