Pakistan hits back after Pence remarks

Foreign Office says allies do not put each other ‘on notice’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States engaged in verbal duel on Friday after Vice President Mike Pence claimed that the Trump administration had put Islamabad on notice to act against alleged terrorist safe havens on its soil.

The harshest comment from Pence during his surprise visit to Afghanistan drew equally strong rejoinder from the Foreign Office, which hit back at the US by asking it to put those on notice who were responsible for exponential increase in “drug production, expansion of ungoverned spaces, industrial scale corruption, breakdown of governance and letting Da’ish gain a foothold” in Afghanistan.

Addressing US troops at the Bagram airfield, Pence said: "For too long has Pakistan provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over."

"President Trump has put Pakistan on notice. As the president said, so I say now: Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the United States, and Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists,” he added.

But within hours of his strong statement, the Foreign Office came up with a stinging reply by suggesting allies “do not put each other on notice”.

“The statement is at variance with the extensive conversations we have had with the US administration,” the Foreign Office statement pointed out.

“On notice should be those factors responsible for the exponential increase in drug production, expansion of ungoverned spaces, industrial scale corruption, breakdown of governance, and letting Da’ish gain a foothold in Afghanistan,” it further stated.

“Also on focus should be: creating peace and reconciliation mechanisms. [And] finally, externalising blame should be put on notice.”

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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) December 22, 2017

The verbal exchange suggested simmering tensions between the two ostensible allies that have been struggling to develop a consensus on how to end the 16-year-old lingering conflict in Afghanistan.

At the heart of problem is Washington’s repeated claims that Islamabad is still harbouring certain militant outfits, including the Haqqani network.

Pakistan, however, is adamant that it has done more than any other country in the fight against terrorism. Also it questions the new approach adopted by the Trump administration that seeks greater role for India in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the issue of growing tensions between Pakistan and US also came up for debate at the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, which met at the Parliament House on Friday.

Some opposition senators voiced concerns that the US could take a unilateral action as it did in the case of Osama bin Laden against Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said the reminder by the US that Hafiz Saeed was a terrorist who carried head money of $10 million was preceded by the Trump administration new policy containing, for the first time, the element of unilateral action against militants and expressed concern over this juxtaposition.

“Bin Laden carried head money of $25 million and was taken out by a unilateral action by Navy SEALs without prior warning whereas now a specific declaration had been made and the two statements ominously juxtaposed together,” Babar added.

Reminding that Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf had banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) but was now publicly defending Hafiz Saeed, Babar said such statements directly played into the hands of those who accuse Pakistan of harbouring militants.

He said, “For far too long we have been saying that action will be taken if information about terrorists is provided but it has not cut the ice.”

The senator asked if the state was prepared to carry forward investigations into cross-border attacks by militants allegedly based in Pakistan as a step forward.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed spoke on recent threats hurled by US authorities – including the one that Pakistan could lose territory to militant groups, insisting Pakistan should take those threats seriously.

But Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua played down such statements as mere threats. She dismissed the charges that there were any safe havens of terrorists on the Pakistani soil.

The secretary claimed that Pakistan had done more than the US demanded. She also made it clear that the US administration needs to address Pakistan’s concerns too.

Without naming India, the foreign secretary pointed out that Pakistan was a victim of state terrorism by an ‘enemy’ country.