Need For A New Foreign Policy

(Mehr Ispahani, Peshawar)

It is clear that America is preparing India to reduce China’s influence in the region. The strategic importance of India in the American view that can better protect the U.S. interests in the area and China‘s rapid rise as a regional political and economic power with global aspirations is an important element in today’s strategic environment that has significant implications for the region and the world. China has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States and field disruptive military technologies. U.S. policy in South Asia focused on reinvention of the region as a nuclear free and democratic area. Pakistan ‘s nuclear capability and China’s nuclear and military dominance were the main concerns which somewhat provided common ground to the India-United States strategic partnership.Modi’s recent visit to the US and their agreement on the construction of six nuclear reactors in India by an American company, Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Westinghouse Electric Co., a U.S. unit of Toshiba Corp., will also begin engineering and site-design work for the reactors. Modi’s visit is part of Obama’s endeavor to pivot the US foreign policy towards Asia.

The United States states that Pakistan will have to take action against all the Taliban groups which are operating on its soil and territory without discrimination but the most critical factor behind the reduction in terrorist violence is the North Waziristan operation. The TTP and other terrorist groups were cleared from their last remaining stronghold in the tribal areas. There have been operations in Karachi and northern Balochistan on a very large scale where there have been preexisting security challenges.3,400 terrorists killed 837 hideouts from where they were carrying out their terrorist activities destroyed. Operation Zarb-e-Azb got acknowledgement and praise from the various leaders and forums throughout the world. They appreciated the successes of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Pakistan’s efforts for regional stabilityand it went for the operation without any discrimination, Karachi back to a relative peace that it had not seen in decades. This same operation has expanded into Baluchistan, crushing the insurgencies that were foreign sponsored and resolving disputes with the local fighters.The Baluchistan insurgency has faced significant defeats and surrenders of many of their most senior commanders and fighters, as the Army and paramilitary forces deepened their resolve to end this conflict. The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhev, a serving Indian Navy officer, working for RAW inside Balochistan, has led to the collapse of a massive network of over 50 Indian operatives and 700 Pakistani elementsand these would be considered operational successes, and reasons to continue the support to Pakistan’s military. For the US, Pakistani lives may be meaningless and worthless, but to every Pakistani mother and father, those lives are their futures, and as a nation, it is our national duty to protect them.

From the appointment of the Karzai government to the regular reports of massive corruption within the country, Afghanistan continues to be an experiment in US foreign policy. At no point could it been said that Afghanistan was on the path to stability can’t blame that on Pakistan, anti-Pakistan position was reinforced with the influx of Indian investments into all sectors of the Afghanistan economy .Afghanistan itself has shown no serious interest in being a partner for peace with Pakistan. Media outlets in the United States, have given a phrase against Pakistan – “duplicitous partner Yes Pakistan takes care of its interests before considering the interests of any foreign nation and that ofcourse any nation would do. Pakistan has shown amazing restraint in not carpet bombing the terrorist safe havens in Khost and Nuristan right now Pakistan is dealing with its own internal problems; it has its own internal security issues.

Pakistan and China continued their efforts in bringing Taliban to the negotiating table even there was a flare up by Afghanistan. Pakistan hosted a meeting in Murree in 2015 with the representatives from China and Afghanistan to bring about Taliban for negotiations then the second time it was to be held in Pakistan when Mullah Omar died and there was crisis among their own ranks. For each and every little what is going on in their own circle Pakistan should not be blamed and it’s not only Pakistan’s responsibility to bring them on the negotiating table ,peace in Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan anyway then why is it always blamed for not doing enough . Pakistan has already sacrificed with so many families losing their loved ones in war against terrorism; the efforts should not be taken for granted. With whatever goes around in Afghanistan Pakistan is the one to be targeted without realizing the fact that it has put in so much for peace and stability in Afghanistan which is never given any importance. Islamabad can put pressure on the Taliban leadership to sit-in for peace talks but it can’t negotiate on behalf of the Afghan government. The image that has been given to the entire world that Pakistan has control over Taliban is just a mere propaganda. There are unrealistic expectations from Pakistan and then when the expectations are not guaranteed there is always a blame game going on the other side. The US has been accusing Pakistan for not acting against militants and making a tilt towards India. On the other hand the US has an agreement with India on civil nuclear cooperation, but refuses to offer Pakistan a similar deal. Even after the cold war era, US and India started working on their relationship and widened the scope of cooperation and exchanges. It considered India as a more important partner in political, strategic and commercial sense.

What we need to do is keep our national interest on our priority list, we need to be careful about the decisions and our relations states,and we need to revise our foreign policy. Pakistan’s ties with the Muslim world especially the Middle Eastern countries are an important part of its identity and ideology- based foreign policy. A reason behind China’s investment in strategically placed Pakistan has much to do with its revised approach to foreign policy.

Mehr Ispahani
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