United States President Donald Trump's request for India's help in Afghanistan has rattled Pakistan.
Reports suggest that Islamabad, which sees New Delhi as bete noire, is now contemplating involving India in Afghanistan peace process.
The New York Times reported that President Trump's appeal On Tuesday for India's help on Afghanistan set off alarm bells in Pakistan, where officials warned that the approach risked jolting a tumultuous relationship.
It further added that "Pakistani officials also expressed relief that Mr. Trump did not call for abrupt reductions in military aid to Pakistan, which the United States has long accused of going easy on militants".
Speaking from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va., Trump said, "We will develop a deeper strategic partnership with India, but we want them to help us more in Afghanistan."
He further added that "India makes billions of dollars with the United States in trade; we want them to help us more in Afghanistan".
The US President's outreach to India has not gone down well within Pakistan. To make the matters worse for Islamabad, Trump said that Pakistan was needed to show more commitment to fight terror.
"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," Trump said on Monday.
The New York Times said although Trump stopped short of cutting off military aid, "as some Pakistani elites had feared".
Even before Trump unveiled his strategy on Monday, Islamabad was apprehensive and concerned.
"The Pakistani military has been at the forefront of formulating the country's foreign policy and has taken the lead in defining the contours of Islamabad's relationship with Afghanistan and India. The civilian government has very little say, if any, in these policy initiatives," reported The New York Times.
Citing background interviews, the report said that "senior Pakistani security officials stress that an all-inclusive engagement is the only option for peace inside Afghanistan. More troops inside the country, along with blaming Pakistan for harboring terrorists, will not work".
The New York Times report said that "Pakistani officials have cited Indian influence as a primary cause of instability and insecurity in Afghanistan. Officials in Islamabad accuse India of supporting a hostile political regime in Kabul and funding militants, who use Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks inside Pakistan".
Trump's desire of India's bigger role in Afghanistan and warning to Pakistan has left Islamabad dumbfound.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement after Trump's speech saying it is committed to fighting terrorism, and it called allegations it provided safe havens to militants "a false narrative."
It added that a military solution is not possible, saying "only an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned politically negotiated solution can lead to a sustainable peace in Afghanistan."
Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that his country "has rendered unmatched sacrifices in the war on terror. Our war against terrorism is not because of the United States; we will continue this war."
However, Pakistan, a US ally in War on Terror, is accused of misusing the US aid mean for fighting terror.
US defense secretary Mattis said in July that the US has decided to block $350 million in coalition support funds to Pakistan as it had not taken "sufficient actions" against the dreaded Haqqani terror network which has been behind terror attacks in Afghanistan.
In July, the US listed Pakistan among the nations providing "safe havens" to terrorists saying terror groups like the LeT and JeM continued to operate, train, organise and fund-raise inside the country.
"Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan," said the annual 'Country Report on Terrorism' from the US state department.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
