Pakistan, US must work in unison for Afghan peace

WASHINGTON: Pakistan and the United States need to work in unison to help improve security situation in Afghanistan, as terrorists have stepped up attacks, ignoring calls by the Afghan government for peace and political inclusion, an analyst on South Asia affairs said in an opinion article.

Shazar Shafqat, a counter-terrorism and security analyst for the Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor and others, writing for online magazine The Hill said that it has become clear that Pakistan will not budge under US pressure and the two countries need to work in unison.

Relations between Pakistan and the US have soared after the Trump administration withheld security aid to its longtime ally amid allegations that Pakistan was not fully cooperating in the fight against terrorism.

Pakistan has strongly denied these allegations and has said that it was fully committed to root out the menace and taking action against all terrorist groups on its soil.

Taliban and the Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the recent attacks in Kabul, apparently aimed at disrupting the electoral process.

Afghanistan is slated to have parliamentary elections this year and the presidential elections next year. Recent attacks have targeted centers for voters' registration.

"The security situation in Afghanistan is getting murkier with time. And, unfortunately, there's all the reason to believe it is going to get worse in the coming days. It appears as if the recent calls for peace were nothing but hogwash," Shafqat said.

He said that the Taliban and the Islamic State were never serious about the peace initiatives, a plain fact that has not being understood by the US policymakers.

"The idea of peace talks is great, but this back and forth rhetoric based on peace initiatives and direct strikes just doesn't serve the purpose."

Taliban has seemingly spurned the peace offer by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani after they announced to start the Spring Offensive.

In the given situation, the expert said that the US must look into options in order to stand a viable chance to wipe the terrorists out, including working closely with Pakistan to achieve the desired goals.

He also said that the US needs to focus more on Afghanistan rather than the Middle East more broadly as Afghanistan is one country in the region that appears easier for terrorists to infiltrate.

"Islamic State might be on the run, but if left unchecked, it can wreak havoc in Afghanistan and beyond," he added.