China, Pakistan have an understanding on protecting interests in Afghanistan: US report

(Karachi) A bipartisan report sent to the Congress in United States has claimed that China and Pakistan have an understanding on protecting their interests in Afghanistan while Islamabad plays a leading role in devising this strategy, Dawn reported on Friday.

The report stated, “The increasing closeness of the China-Pakistan relationship means that, for the most part, Beijing’s Afghanistan policy has hewed closely to that of Islamabad, with Islamabad taking the lead.”

The report also acknowledges Pakistan’s role in taking forward the Afghan peace process, asking the Biden administration to work with Pakistan to end decades of war and destruction in Afghanistan.

It also urges the Biden administration to postpone the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan by May and warned that an early exit would allow terrorist groups to reemerge.

Taliban not int'l terrorists

Regarding US policies towards Afghanistan, the report states that “the Taliban are not an international terrorist organisation, and there is no evidence that they have any intention to attack the United States.”

The report claims that there is broad regional support for a US withdrawal even within the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

Influence over Taliban

Underlining Pakistan’s role in the peace process, the report highlighted that Pakistan has facilitated America's efforts to hold negotiations with the Taliban.

“Many countries in the region, especially Pakistan, have influence over the Taliban and other participants in the peace process,” the report claims, adding: “They should actively use this influence to make the peace process successful because they will ultimately benefit from its success.”

"Pakistan has influence over the Taliban, it does not have total control over the movement,” it stated. The report pointed out Pakistan always tried to maintain a close relationship with the United States but it did not prevent it from maintaining relations with the Taliban.

Stable Afghanistan

The report further said that Pakistan has started reevaluating its strategy for Afghanistan in view of the economic opportunities that would arise from a more stable Afghanistan.

Yet, the report argues, a fundamental change in Pakistan’s Afghan policy, “particularly in the strategic thinking of Pakistan’s politically powerful army and intelligence services,” seems unlikely.

An unstable Afghanistan risks destabilising the entire region, particularly by “exacerbating the rivalry between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed powers”, the report mentioned.