Pakistan keeps Taliban alive in Afghanistan: General McMaster

Former United States National Security Adviser General (retd) McMaster has accused Pakistan of keeping the Taliban alive while the Haqqani network acting as a bridge between the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Independent Urdu, a Pakistani media outlet, reported.

General (retd) McMaster, a former US National Security Adviser, is best known for his 34 years of experience in the US military and his mastery of foreign policy. The Independent Urdu asked General (retd) McMaster about Pakistan’s role in the region regarding the Afghan peace agreement, to which he replied: “The reason for Pakistan’s mobilization in the region is India. The Pakistani military sees India behind everything and this is the reason for most of its actions in Afghanistan.”

Criticizing Pakistan’s foreign policy, he said: “Illegal armed groups have been part of Pakistan’s foreign policy since 1948, at the expense of the people of Pakistan.” Citing the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in 2014, he said, “When the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacked the school, it was hoped that Pakistan would reconsider its foreign policy, but unfortunately this did not happen. Now is the time for Pakistani forces and ISI to stop supporting terrorists. Now we have to urge Pakistan to choose a right course.”

On the allegation of Gen (retd) McMaster, Gen (retd) Amjad Shoaib said “The United States could not have set foot in Afghanistan without Pakistan’s help. Pakistan provided it with intelligence, logistics, and communications support and airfield facilities. The United States used Pakistan first to fight Russia and then al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and then settled India in Afghanistan.”

Analyzing General (retd) McMaster’s statement, Anwar Iqbal, a senior journalist based in Washington DC, said: “Pakistan still has ties with the Haqqani Network, but did the United States not take advantage of it? He added that despite being in Afghanistan for 19 years, the United States could not do anything because the Taliban in Afghanistan is not the only problem, for which the United States must understand the history of Afghanistan.

At the end of his talk with The Independent, General (retd) McMaster said: “Pakistan’s army and ISI will have to change their attitude, otherwise Pakistan will become an ‘untouchable state’ like North Korea, which, apart from China, There will be no support from anyone in the region and this wouldn’t be good for Pakistan.”

Pakistan’s foreign policy towards Afghanistan has historically been controversial. Two of the main reasons for this are Afghanistan’s prolonged war and the long-term presence of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan has always played a key role in improving conditions in Afghanistan and resolving the decades’ long conflict.

Qureshi has met with a delegation of Afghan Taliban in August. ISI chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed was also present at the meeting. The delegation was led by Mullah Baradar, the Afghan Taliban’s head of political affairs. The meeting focused on the progress of the peace agreement between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan government. Prior to the meeting, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi discussed Pakistan’s key role in the US-Taliban peace deal and the stability of the region.

Courtesy: Yahoo.com