Indian fixation: ‘Pakistan addicted to playing with militancy’
Michael Sheehan claims Pakistan has an addiction to playing around with militia groups to achieve certain interests.
WASHINGTON:
Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflicts Michael Sheehan claims, “Pakistan has an addiction to playing around with militia groups to achieve certain interests, particularly vis-à-vis India. That gets them in all kinds of trouble.”
Speaking at a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services subcommittee, Sheehan said that the US has had conversations with Pakistan “forever” about this, but he does not see it changing. “I don’t see any set of talking points that’s going to be delivered by some new diplomat that’s going to change their mind.”
Calling the US-Pakistan relationship as the most complicated relationship in the world that the United States has, Mr. Sheehan said that they have no choice but to work with Pakistan, and that he believes the US will. “It’s very troubling and can be so frustrating in dealing with the Pakistani government on so many levels, but at the end of the day we’re going to find confluence of interest and we’re going to work together as best we can and get these issues resolved.”
Addressing the subcommittee, he said that there are “new parliamentary decisions that are going to further complicate our ability to work with the Pakistani government.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2012.
Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflicts Michael Sheehan claims, “Pakistan has an addiction to playing around with militia groups to achieve certain interests, particularly vis-à-vis India. That gets them in all kinds of trouble.”
Speaking at a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services subcommittee, Sheehan said that the US has had conversations with Pakistan “forever” about this, but he does not see it changing. “I don’t see any set of talking points that’s going to be delivered by some new diplomat that’s going to change their mind.”
Calling the US-Pakistan relationship as the most complicated relationship in the world that the United States has, Mr. Sheehan said that they have no choice but to work with Pakistan, and that he believes the US will. “It’s very troubling and can be so frustrating in dealing with the Pakistani government on so many levels, but at the end of the day we’re going to find confluence of interest and we’re going to work together as best we can and get these issues resolved.”
Addressing the subcommittee, he said that there are “new parliamentary decisions that are going to further complicate our ability to work with the Pakistani government.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2012.