US intervention sought to ease tensions with India

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has sought American intervention to de-escalate brewing tensions with its arch nemesis India as ongoing deadly skirmishes along the Line of Control (LoC) and working boundary set off alarm bells in the West amid talk of a possible limited war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The issue of souring Pakistan-India ties was one of the key points discussed during talks between US National Security Adviser Dr Susan Rice and Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership on Sunday.

Rice, who is the first US NSA to visit Pakistan in years, held separate meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, army chief General Raheel Sharif and her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz.

A senior Foreign Office official told The Express Tribune that Rice’s visit focused on bilateral issues as well as current regional situation, including worsening ties between Pakistan and India and unrest in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Pakistani leadership conveyed serious concerns to Rice on the escalating tensions along the LoC and working boundary. He said Premier Nawaz urged the US to play its role in making India realise that such provocations were not in the interest of peace and stability.

The Express Tribune has also learnt that the US national security adviser, who rarely pays foreign trips unless necessary, assured Pakistan that her government would persuade New Delhi to come to the negotiating table without setting any preconditions.

A diplomatic source revealed that the US is keen to arrange a bilateral meeting between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India next month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York. The source said Rice’s visit is aimed at laying a necessary groundwork for the possible interaction between the two prime ministers.

The US is believed to be quietly pushing for rapprochement between the hostile neighbours on the grounds that further deterioration of Pakistan-India ties could undermine peacemaking efforts in neighbouring Afghanistan.



Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, who attended the meeting at the Prime Minister House, confirmed that Islamabad had asked Washington to play its part in lowering tensions between the two neighbours.

Aizaz told a private news channel that Premier Nawaz has informed the US national security adviser about the Indian lukewarm response to Pakistan’s peace overtures and a policy of peaceful neighbourhood.

An official statement said that during the meeting between the prime minister and the US official the situation in the region came under discussion. However, the statement did not elaborate whether the current tensions between Pakistan and India were discussed.

Coalition Support Fund

Rice’s visit came amid media reports that Washington had threatened to block $300 million military assistance under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) over what it alleges Pakistan’s lack of action against the Haqqani Network.

However, during her meetings with the prime minister and the army chief, Dr Rice expressed deep appreciation for the sacrifices Pakistan has made in its efforts to root out terrorism and extremism and the success achieved so far, said statements issued by the PM House and the ISPR.

Afghan situation

Officials said the two sides discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and efforts to revive the peace talks stalled following the death of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar.

The American side voiced concerns over the current hiccup in ties between Islamabad and Kabul after a recent spate of Taliban attacks in Afghanistan.

Rice was told that Pakistan had no interest whatsoever to cause instability in the neighbouring country and hence the recent Afghan diatribe was regrettable that would only serve the purpose of those who wanted to see chaos in this region.

PM visit to US

The two sides also discussed the agenda of Premier Nawaz’s upcoming visit to the United States. The official statement said the prime minister informed Rice that he was looking forward to his visit to the US in October this year as an opportunity to further strengthen ties between the two countries.

Rice underscored the importance of strong Pakistan-US relations. “She noted the positive direction of ongoing cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of defence, economy and energy sectors,” the statement said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31st, 2015.