Pakistan military berates US on terrorist claims

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A verbal duel between Pakistan and the US is continuing to escalate after Vice President Mike Pence last week made what is being viewed as the harshest comment against the South Asian country, accusing it of harboring terrorists.

Pakistan's foreign office reacted swiftly to Pence’s remarks on Friday 22, issuing a sharp rebuke. Now the country’s military has also spoken against the constant US demands for the nation to “do more” against the alleged presence of terror outfits on its soil.

There is no presence of any banned organizations in the country, said Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, Director General of military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday in a press briefing.

Pakistan has fought an imposed and imported war twice, and it now cannot do any more for anyone, Pakistani media quoted Maj Gen Ghafoor saying.

US Vice President Mike Pence arrives on stage to address troops in a hangar at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on December 21, 2017. /Reuters Photo‍

"Do more" mantra

The US demands for Pakistan to “do more” are not new, since the Afghan war started more than 16 years ago. However, the US’ tone has toughened after Donald Trump became president.

Trump cast blame on Pakistan in August, also accusing it of being duplicitous in its financial dealings with the US.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting", said Trump.

"It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace".

But Maj Gen Ghafoor said the US financial aid was reimbursement for Pakistan’s support to the coalition for its fight against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Warning after warning

"For too long has Pakistan provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organizations, but those days are over," said Pence during a surprise visit to Afghanistan last Friday.

President Donald Trump has now "put Pakistan on notice", he said.

"No amount of coercion can work – it is only trust-based cooperation that can bring enduring peace to the region," responded Maj Gen Ghafoor.

"What kind of friends are we that we are being given notices?" he questioned.

A Pakistani resident watches his tablet device in Islamabad on August 22, 2017, showing a live broadcast of US President Donald Trump delivering his address from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia in the US. /AFP Photo

“The statement is at variance with the extensive conversations we have had with the US administration,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement earlier, reacting to Pence’s remarks.

“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 added.

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

In the latest comment from a US official asking Pakistan to do more, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Pakistan "must demonstrate its desire to partner with us".

The US is prepared to partner with Pakistan to defeat terrorist organizations seeking safe havens, he wrote in an opinion piece published in the New York Times on Wednesday.

"Pakistan must contribute by combating terrorist groups on its own soil," he added.

He referred to Trump administration’s South Asia strategy, which focuses on Afghanistan, saying a commitment to stopping terrorism and extremism had motivated the US to form such a policy.

Afghanistan “cannot become a safe haven for terrorists, as it was in the days before the Sept 11 attacks,” he said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks in Washington. /Reuters Photo

Trump unveiled his policy review of the Afghan war in August, which was broadly controversial, with his announcement that US troops will remain in the war-ravaged country without a timetable for withdrawal that was labeled unrealistic and dangerous.

India's role in Afghanistan

The US president also called on India to play a larger role in Afghanistan, praising New Delhi’s "important contributions to stability in Afghanistan" in his policy review.

Pakistan has expressed reservations over India’s role as “a net provider of security”, that it said would work to raise Pakistan’s security concerns.

Maj Gen Ghafoor said it is now time for the US and Afghanistan to do more for Pakistan, urging the US to check India's role in the Afghan region.

"No country is more interested in Afghan peace than us, as we know that peace there means peace in Pakistan," he said.

Cover Photo Courtesy: ISPR

(With input from news agencies)