Pakistan should take Trump’s warning seriously
It is known that Islamabad has received billions of dollars from the US, but has failed to contain or root out terrorists
While delivering a strong message toNorthKoreaandIranthatwill echo for the colourful language he used, US President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to nations that harbour terrorists,fund them and grant them transit. He named no nation or region, but his list of outfits that benefit from this support – the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Hezbollah – he put their backers front and centre. Pakistan for the first two and Iran for the third.
The president is telling Islamabad he means it.
“We must drive them out of our nations,” Trump told world leaders in his maiden speechtotheUNgeneralassembly.“Itistime to expose and hold responsible those countrieswhosupportandfinanceterrorgroups.”
Trump might have been reading a para from his speech announcing his administration’s new South Asia policy last month, in whichhehadputPakistanonnotice.“Wecan no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban,andothergroupsthatposeathreattothe region and beyond … Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people.”
It not only echoed deep-seated frustration with a non-NATO ally over years of broken promisesand betrayals, butalso the growing resentment that it has given way to in recent years. Thepresident is known to havegrumbled privately to visiting officials from the regionaboutthebillionsofdollarsIslamabad has received from the United States but has failed to curb or root out terrorists that this and past administrations, joined by bipartisan support from congress, have sought in return,in acynically transactional approach they say they have been forced to adopt after running out of all other options.
President Trump wants to get tough with Pakistan.Heranhiscampaignonthepromise ofdefeatingterrorism,specificallytheIslamic State. And his administration was quick to announceitslowtoleranceofterroristsofany kindorgroup.Islamabadmusthaveheardthe call.Butdid it heedit? Andnow,aggrievedby Trump’snewSouthAsiapolicy,speciallythe part that sought a larger role for India in Afghanistan, it responded with temper tantrums and petulance.
Pakistan might want to take a hard look at its options. It must shut down Lashkar-eToiba,Jaish-e-Mohammad,theHaqqaniNetworkandallothergroups–someAfghanssuspect the newly surging IslamicState in Khorasan is also getting support from Islamabad – that operate freely from its soil, raise funds, march in raucous rallies and openly support and call for terrorist strikes against their enemies,andbyextensionthatoftheirbackersin the Pakistani establishment.