Berlin urges Islamabad, Kabul to work together

Sartaj says Haqqanis’ infrastructure, IED factories dismantled

ISLAMABAD:

In an apparent bid to remove the American and Afghan concerns that the Taliban allied Haqqani Network is still operating from the country’s tribal areas, Pakistan has declared that the ongoing military offensive in North Waziristan Agency has successfully ‘disrupted’ the militant outfit.

“The infrastructure of the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan Agency, including IED [improvised explosive device] factories, and a number of capacities, including communication, have been disrupted,” said Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Monday.

Aziz, who was addressing a joint news conference along with visiting German Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, admitted that US National Security Adviser Dr Susan Rice did raise the issue of Haqqani Network during her meetings with Pakistani officials on Sunday. However, he insisted that it was a ‘limited issue’ compared to gains Pakistan had made in its fight against terrorism.

The issue of Haqqani Network has apparently become the bone of contention once again for Pakistan’s bilateral relations with the US and Afghanistan. Kabul has accused Islamabad of doing little to disrupt the Haqqani Network following the sudden uptick in Taliban attacks in Afghanistan.



The United States reportedly has threatened Pakistan with stoppage of around $300 million military assistance if decisive action is not taken against the Haqqanis. However, Aziz disputed the claims that the Haqqani Network still had ‘the capacity’ to mount major attacks in the neighbouring country from Pakistan.

When asked whether Germany shared Pakistan’s assessment on the Haqqani Network, the German foreign minister gave a more diplomatic reply: “It is early days when it comes to properly assessing the consequences of all these actions will have on the Haqqani Network.”

He, however, said he was told by his Pakistani interlocutors that the network had indeed been disrupted. German Foreign Minister Steinmeier, who flew from Kabul to Islamabad, emphasised the need for continued rapprochement between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He said it was vital that despite recent hiccups both Islamabad and Kabul must continue to foster closer cooperation for long-term peace and stability in the region. He said there was a will on both sides to overcome the obstacles and enter into more cooperative relationship.

During formal talks between the German foreign minister and the PM’s adviser, the issue of ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India also came under discussion.

The German top diplomat regretted the cancelation of recent NSA level talks between the two nuclear armed neighbours and insisted that dialogue was the only way forward. He supported Pakistan’s position that the longstanding Kashmir dispute could not be brushed under the carpet.

“There are pressing and deep running issues concerning the Kashmir region and I also know that these cannot be avoided or excluded during talks nor they can be solved in a very short term,” he said.

Earlier in his meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the PM House, the German foreign minister discussed matters relating to bilateral and regional interest with particular focus on peace and stability in the region.

Nawaz thanked Germany for supporting Pakistan for GSP Plus status given by European Union (EU). The German FM also visited the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and held talks with army chief General Raheel Sharif.


Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2015.