As U.S. relationship fractures, Islamabad warms to Moscow
ISLAMABAD — As Pakistan navigates its troubled relationship with the United
St ates and scrambles to avoid being blacklisted for doing too little, too late to stop terror funding, regional alliances are shifting and analysts ponder whether a cozier relationship with countries such as Russia will complicate efforts to move toward peace in neighboring Afghanistan.
Russia, analysts say, is motivated by fears of a grow- ing presence of Islamic State militants in neighboring
Afghanistan and has warmed up to Pakistan as well as to
Taliban insurgents battling the upstart Islamic State group affiliate known as Khorasan Province, the ancient name of an area that once ists have been taken lightly included parts of Afghani- before and we are where stan, Iran and Central Asia. we are because of that,”
In the latest move to said Khan in an interview in strengthen ties, Russia last the Pakistani capital, Islamweek named an honorary abad. Reflecting on his busi- consul to Pakistan’s Khyness-based strategy, Khan ber Pukhtunkhwa Province, said, “when you can give which borders Nangarhar people a way of earning a province in eastern Afghan- living, they will turn away istan, where IS has estabfrom terrorism, away from lished its headquarters. The extremism.”
IS is also present in northThe appointment reflects ern Afghanistan’s border a stark turnaround in Paki- regions with Central Asia, stan’s historical relationship causing further consternawith Russia. tion in Moscow. In the 1980s, Pakistan and
Russia’s honorary consul, the U.S. were united against Mohammad Arsallah Khan, Russia as the Soviet Union who belongs to a powersent 150,000 soldiers into ful business family in Paki- Afghanistan to prop up its stan’s northwest, said eco- communist ally in the Afghan nomic development is the capital, Kabul. At the time, best weapon against extremPakistan, with U.S. backing, ism. To that end he said he used Peshawar as a staging will promote increased com- arena to arm and deploy merce with Pakistan’s neighIslamic insurgents, referred bors, including Russia, which to as mujahedeen — or as currently accounts for barely President Ronald Reagan $500 million in trade. often called them, “freedom
“I think this whole region fighters” — to wage war on is a bit of a mess, which I Russia. After 10 years, Rusrealize is one of the great sia failed to win the war and understatements. Extrem- on Feb. 15, 1989, left Afghan- istan in a negotiated exit.
For some, Russia’s cozying up to Pakistan is a bit of a “poke in the eye” to the U.S., still embroiled in the Afghan conflict that is now in its 17th year and is Washington’s longest war, costing more than $122 billion, according to its own special inspector general on Afghan reconstruction.
Still, Petr Topychkanov, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said Russia worries about the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.
“Russia is concerned about the long-term presence of the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan, and therefore it’s in Russia’s long-term interests to have an inside view of the situation in Afghanistan,” he said, saying that Pakistan provides the viewing platform.
Daniel Markey, senior research professor in international relations at Johns Hopkins University, said Russian relations with Pakistan aim to solve two problems for Moscow. First, to blunt the threat of IS from Afghanistan. Second, to undermine U.S. influence, he said.
“The point is that Russia and Pakistan probably have more in common with respect to the war in Afghanistan than the United States has with either — and this is a real turnaround from prior history.”
Last week Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Washington of failing to go after the Islamic State group in Afghanistan.
In response, Washington’s senior diplomat for South Asia, Alice Wells, accused Russia of ignoring anti-IS offensives launched by U.S. and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan, while at the same time pursuing them in new havens, particularly in northern Afghanistan.