All stick, no carrot

The US State Department report ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2016’ has little good to say about Pakistan, and in many ways adds more of the same to a grumbling chorus of complaints emanating from the US. The report is specific and detailed and in many ways is a reiteration of old news, but the drumbeat repetition makes it hard to ignore or circumvent. It is the American perception of the failure to take on the Haqqani Network and hinder the activities of the Afghan Taliban that are said to have a presence here that drives US irritability. Once again, Pakistan is seen as playing both ends against the middle and this is a perception that is hard to shake, and one which leaks into the perceptions of other states as well.

Unfortunately, there is more than a grain of truth in some of the report highlights. This government has not taken significant action against Jaish-e-Mohammad or Lashkar-e-Taiba and both organisations continue to fundraise, hold rallies, and recruit and train in Pakistan. It is correct in saying that the Pakistan government has not joined the global coalition to defeat IS despite having designated it a terrorist organisation in 2015. The frequent denial of any type of presence by IS in Pakistan will not go unnoticed either. The Americans have also not failed to notice that Pakistan has ongoing operations against terrorist groups and there is a grudging acknowledgement that despite criticisms, Pakistan remains ‘an important counterterrorism partner’. And yes, the National Action Plan really is being unevenly implemented.

There is also acknowledgement of the reduction in terrorist attacks, a phenomenon widely noted in domestic media but rarely headlined outside the country. One might be led to wonder whether Pakistan in the eyes of the rest of the world and particularly America is ever going to be perceived as ‘doing enough’. The deficits are in plain sight, some of them recognised by this government, and none are susceptible to quick remedy. There are going to be no carrots from the Trump administration — but too much stick makes for an uncooperative bedfellow.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2017.

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