US can’t depend on ‘game-playing’ Pak to get job done in Afghanistan: Ex-Spl Envoy
By ANIThursday, December 16, 2010
WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Peter Tomsen, has said that the Obama administration cannot depend on Pakistan to get its job done in Afghanistan, despite having given billions in civilian and military aid as incentives.
The issue of safe havens on the Pakistan side of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has dominated White House discussions about the war in recent weeks, and it is widely seen as an important factor in Obama’s high-stakes strategy.
Tomsen, Special Envoy to Afghanistan from 1989 to 1992, believes that Pakistan can dramatically limit the sanctuaries and cut its ties with the Taliban, but has never felt compelled to do so.
“This is a game Pakistan has played…for three decades: the military sees it as part of its strategy to promote Islamic extremism,” Politico quoted Tomsen, as saying.
“It’s been underway for decades. It continues today and we’ve tolerated it too long…..As long as the Pakistani military continues this policy, war will continue to tear at Afghanistan and the treasure we’ve put into trying to reconstruct Afghanistan will be wasted,” he added.
Tomsen further said that the U.S. should place strict conditions on aid to Pakistan based on actions, not statements from officials in Islamabad.
“If we take what the Pakistanis are saying at their word, we’re courting more disaster for ourselves in Afghanistan,” Tomsen said.
Tomsen’s comments come over the report on the progress of the Afghanistan war, which say that although there have been gains for the US and NATO in the war, the unwillingness of Pakistan to shut down militant sanctuaries in its lawless tribal region remains a serious obstacle.
It said that insurgents freely cross from Pakistan into Afghanistan to plant bombs and fight American troops and then return to Pakistan for rest and resupply.
The findings in the reports, called National Intelligence Estimates, represent the consensus view of the United States’ 16 intelligence agencies, and were provided last week to some members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees.(ANI)
