Re “Time to Put
the Squeeze on Pakistan”
(editorial, May 12): Pakistan
cannot be held responsible for the mess in Afghanistan,
which is the result of the collective failure of the international community
and Afghanistan’s
internal dynamics.
Allegations of
duplicity are extremely painful, especially when Pakistan
has suffered the most because of the war in Afghanistan. Hundreds of suicide
bombings and tens of thousands of civilian casualties are the direct result of
continued instability in Afghanistan.
Instead of
complaining about the heavy cost imposed on us, Pakistan
has consistently cooperated with the United States and coalition forces
in sharing intelligence and decimating the terror outfits operating from the
region.
Instead of
putting the blame on Pakistan,
it would have been better had the editorial also commented on the protracted
Afghan refugee issue and the lack of border management as among the underlying
reasons for regional instability.
Pakistan does not benefit from instability in Afghanistan. We
wish its people peace and prosperity. To this end, we are pursuing mutually
beneficial economic integration. This month our leaders inaugurated the
CASA-1000 electricity transmission project, which will bring Pakistan and Afghanistan closer.
The
Quadrilateral Coordination Group — consisting of the United
States and China
in addition to Pakistan and Afghanistan — has rightly agreed that long-term
peace in Afghanistan
can be achieved only through reconciliation between the various Afghan
stakeholders. It is imperative that this peace initiative be given a chance to
succeed in achieving what war has failed to in the last 15 years.
NADEEM HOTIANA
Press Attaché,
Embassy of Pakistan
Washington
No comments:
Post a Comment