US Allegations, Pakistan and Indian Factor

WASHINGTON: When they ask Pakistan to sever its alleged ties with the Taliban, US officials focus on three militant leaders, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Commander Jalaluddin Haqqani and Commander Nazir.

Diplomatic observers in Washington, however, acknowledge that while urging Pakistan to end its links to the militants, the Americans do not address the concerns and fears that force Pakistan to keep an option other than the one offered by the United States.

The observers point out that the Pakistanis feel the need to cultivate militant leaders because they fear India’s overwhelming presence in Afghanistan.

Not addressing these concerns ‘leaves Pakistan exposed to Indian encirclement,’ says Aqil Shah, a US expert of Pakistani origin associated with the Columbia University.

Pakistan sees the evidence of this encirclement ‘in New Delhi’s alleged support for the insurgency in Pakistan’s resource-rich Balochistan province and in the Indian funding for a 135-mile road connecting Afghanistan’s Nimroz province with the Iranian port of Chabahar,’