Chidanand Rajghatta  

In Past, Washington Has Accused Islamabad Of Using Taliban Proxies To Sabotage Peace Efforts US President Donald Trump has written to Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan seeking, according to Islamabad, it’s “support and facilitation” in achieving a negotiated settlement in the Afghan war.

Trump’s letter, his first direct communication with Pakistan’s new leader, came just ahead of the visit to Islamabad on Tuesday by Zalmay Khalidzad, the US special envoy for the Afghan issue, in what appears to be a renewed effort by Washington to break the Afghan logjam.

The receipt of the letter was first revealed by PM Imran Khan himself in a chat with journalists in Islamabad, and it was confirmed by Pakistan’s foreign office, which said that Trump has “emphasised that Pakistan and USA should explore opportunities to work together and renew partnership” and “also acknowledged that the war had cost both USA and Pakistan”. US officials had not confirmed or offered any comment till the time of writing this.

Aside from the fact that it was the first direct communication between the two leaders after a Twitter spat last month, there did not appear to be anything new in the letter since the US has always sought Pakistan’s role in bringing Taliban to the table. If anything, Washington has been irked that Pakistan has not done enough to persuade its Taliban proxies to talk. But after being at the receiving end of Trump’s Twitter fury, Islamabad attempted another googly by revealing Trump’s missive, while suggesting that Washington is now beseeching Pakistan to facilitate a dialogue.

“US President Donald Trump, in his letter addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan, has stated that his most important regional priority was achieving a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war. In this regard, he has sought Pakistan’s support and facilitation,” the Pakistani statement said. “Since Pakistan has always advocated a political settlement to end war in Afghanistan, US decision is welcomed. Pakistan reiterates its commitment to play a facilitation role in good faith. Peace and stability in Afghanistan remains a shared responsibility,” it added.

Information minister Fawad Chaudhry claimed that in the letter, Trump said that Pakistan’s relationship was very important to the US and to finding a solution to the Afghanistan conflict.

In the past, Washington has accused Islamabad of not acting in good faith and using its Taliban proxies to sabotage peace efforts that did not accord primacy to Pakistan in Afghan affairs. If and when the US withdraws from the region, Islamabad would like its proxy-control over Kabul, since it regards Afghanistan as its strategic depth.

Keeping the US mired in Afghanistan has also been profitable for Pakistan in the past, although the Trump administration has cut off aid and begun to dial down even Coalition Support Fund reimbursements as part of the president’s goal of withdrawing from Afghanistan, an expedition that he sees no happy ending to but which US generals have locked him into.

In a Twitter blast last month, Trump had lambasted Pakistan for milking the U.S for money and not doing a “damn thing” for US, along with jabs about hiding Osama bin Laden. His fury against Pakistan has been accompanied by progressive cutting of bilateral aid and threats to squeeze the multilateral spigot.

The US pressure has brought Pakistan, already a basket case, close to economic ruin, despite support from its benefactors Saudi Arabia and China. The Pakistani rupee is now trading at over 140 to the US dollar and an India rupee now buys two Pakistani rupees. Still, some analysts saw Trump’s letter as a retreat or a u-turn after failing to bully Imran Khan. One Eurasian expert wondered “Is Imran Khan Going to be Trump’s Next Kim Jong-un?”

A foreign office statement confirmed the contents of the letter, adding that President Trump had emphasised that Pakistan and US should explore opportunities to work together and renew partnership

Chidanand.Rajghatta@timesgroup.com

Courtesy: Times of India: 4th Dec, 2018