Pak Unlikely to Act against Terrorists as US Wants

Going by what a prominent US think tank says, Pakistan is unlikely to act strongly against militants as Obama administration wants it to, for Islamabad is not willing to give up the option of using extremists as ‘tools’ against India after the US leaves the region, reported PTI.

“The issue is not just one of capability. It is also about intent and Islamabad’s strategic imperatives,” Stratfor was quoted as saying in its latest news analysis of the region.

It may be mentioned that the US is mounting pressure on Pakistan to take strong actions against terrorists.

“The Pakistanis realise that the United States and its Western allies aren’t looking at a long-term military commitment to Afghanistan. Therefore, from Islamabad’s point of view, it makes no sense to go after those militants fighting in Afghanistan,” it was quoted as saying.

“Doing so would not only exacerbate the insurgency within its own borders in the short term, it would also create a much larger cross-border mess for Islamabad to deal with long after Western forces leave the region,” Stratfor was quoted as saying.

Stratfor said that Taliban fighting in Afghanistan were tools Pakistan could use to roll back Indian influence in Afghanistan, which had increased considerably in the last eight years, said report.

“Therefore, it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will undertake the kind of action that the United States wants, because it would be tantamount to national suicide,” it was quoted as saying.