On September 6, 2018 US Defence Secretary James N. Mattis and Secretary States MikePompeo met with Indian Defence Minister Nirmala SItharaman and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. This meeting termed as 2+2 marked a significant shift as it announced a close alliance between India and America much to the disappointment of Russia. In this meeting, American officials accepted Indian stance completely and blamed Pakistan for Mumbai, Uri and Patankot incidents completely. They further blamed Pakistan for supporting terrorist groups in the region resonating American lobbies anti Pakistan and anti CPEC propaganda. Americans continue to propagate this view in their annual country report for the year 2007, in which the US State department pointed out that while Al-Qaeda has considerably weakened in the region, it still remains a threat to the peach and development of the Indian Subcontinent. This report further alleged that terrorist organizations like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba were being sponsored by Pakistan and that these organizations remained a threat to the Indian subcontinent. In line with this biased propaganda US withheld the Coalition Security Funds (CSF) and cancelled the program which allowed Pakistani military officers to attend US defense institution. This measure was taken to strong arm Pakistan and to ‘Put Pakistan in its place’ as stated by US officials following their president’s line.
All these claims of funding terrorists and ‘do more’ mantra in terms of Afghanistan, while being widely propagated have had little impact as there is little truth in it. While increase in sanctions and aid cuts were aimed at isolating Pakistan and attempt to break it economically and geographically. The real agenda behind these false accusations of funding terrorists and the ‘do more mantra’ is to pressurize Pakistan into pulling out of CPEC and to limit China. In reality now, despite portraying themselves as saints, America, is facing much backlash from the world as it is accused of sponsoring terrorist organizations like ISIS to counter Pakistan, China, Iran, South Asia and Russia, whereas, India is facing internal turmoil for its atrocities against Muslims of Kashmir and India, Sikhs, Nagas, Christians and other minorities.
Pakistan continues to reject this one-sided biased approach of America and is in turn taken a strong stance as opposed of ‘no more’ to this false propaganda. In order to secure its interest in South Asia, America has now turned to India and has slowly clenched its fist around India, successfully managing to break it away from the Russian block. It must be a point of concern for Russia as its all season ally India has now started to abandon it in favor of its nemesis at which point it would do well for Russia to explore it’s options in favor of a better ally in the region in order to safeguard its interests as the US will now use India to counter China and advance its own interest in the region which might not go well for Russia.
Pakistan’s strong stance against American dirty politics, however, has forced America to soften its stance slightly. After the 2+2 meeting, Chief of Pakistan Naval staff, Admiral Abassi, clearly stated, while on his tour to America that Pakistan does not need aid from America and has the ability to survive on its own. Such a strong stance along with Pakistan’s key position in terms of Afghanistan, as highlighted by American forces in Afghanistan has forced US to reconsider this strong arming tactic.
On September 20, 2018 America acknowledged Pakistan’s sacrifices in this war on terror and has acknowledged that Pakistan is still fighting Al-Qaeda. These measures are taken to improve Pakistan America relations and mainly in response to simultaneous visits of PM Imran Khan to Saudia Arabia, Chief of Army Staffs visit to China and the speech of Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi’s in US. The impressive factor was that all three powerhouses were on the same page while enforcing the fact that Pakistan can survive on its own. This reflects a serious shift in Pakistan’s policy highlighting a shift from America and towards China, Russia and other countries. This shift has been made ever since Pakistan has realized the intentions of USA and understood that the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan poses a great danger to Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China and other Central Asian countries. ISIS numbers have grown to ten thousand in Afghanistan and it is the intention of USA to use them against Pakistan. In line with the menace of ISIS Intelligence Chiefs of Russia, China and Iran visited Pakistan to evaluate the situation and possibility of ISIS interference in Pakistan, with the support of India and Russia and how it would impact the country.
This shift has drawned the realization on USA that it cannot survive in Afghanistan without Pakistan, a matter which is more evident now in the light of the recent more intensified attacks by the Afghan Taliban on USA and Afghan forces. In order to save face America has softened its stance towards Pakistan so that Pakistan may bail out USA in Afghanistan. Pakistan, however, will be reluctant to do so this time as it would create a severe crisis within Pakistan because the public opinion stands against fighting American war in Afghanistan at our own cost.
The Taliban are a strong force in Afghanistan and they are fighting for their own cause in their own country against the oppression and aggression of America. This provides them with higher moral ground further they already defeated USA in Afghanistan, a defeat which USA wrongly attributes to Pakistan instead of its own mistakes. The Afghan Taliban stand in powerful position in Afghanistan and all they require to deliver the final to America are lethal weapons which if provided by Russia would mean the end of American roll in Afghanistan and the region.
