Counterterror talks

Pakistan and the US are turning a new leaf in their counterterrorism collaboration. It is a good omen that both the countries are aware of the changing strategic realities, especially in the backdrop of Washington’s hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the challenges that Taliban 2.0 non-inclusive government is facing at home and abroad. Moreover, the regrouping of terror outfits in the landlocked country has compelled the State Department to review its policy. The fact that Islamabad is eager to strike a new chord with the White House, and work on pivotal issues such as improving defence cooperation, preventing and countering violent extremism and terror-financing has set the ball rolling. The resolution is to prevent the region from slipping into anarchy and abject terrorism.

The two-day dialogue is a great beginning, as it confirms the ground realities of immense cooperation as Pakistan and Afghanistan see a new wave of terror attacks. This huddle of counterterrorism officials, incidentally, has come days after a US report categorically stated that the TTP is regrouping with other militant outfits in Pakistan, and is determined to overthrow the government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. The intention of the TTP, and their likes, to establish their own brand of Shariah has come as an immediate security threat to the whole region. Thus, this dialogue and the outcome to cooperate by reviving the level of understanding that existed in the wake of 9/11 attacks is a befitting response to unscrupulous elements who are out to hamper trade and development.

Surely, the path of intermingling won’t be that easy for both the states. The first required element is to buoy the trust factor between Pakistan and the US, and not to highlight controversial issues that go on to infringe the sovereignty factor. Access to the US in terms of land and airspace, in its endeavour to oversee the southwest Asian region, had already created ripples. This new understanding must be result-oriented and pro-security, rather than an agenda of hegemony.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2023.

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