Unveiling a new strategy to help win the unfinished war in Afghanistan, US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice over its “safe havens” for terrorists even while lauding India’s contributions to Afghan stability and reaffirming his resolve to bolster US-India strategic partnership.
Issuing what by far was his strongest warning to Islamabad to date, Trump said in a televised prime-time address, “We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for
terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.”
Bluntly stating that Pakistan has sheltered terror outfits that “try every single day to kill our people”, Trump commented, “We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting.”
“But that will have to change, and that will change immediately,” he said, adding: “No partnership can survive a country’s harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace.”
“Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists,” Trump said. His only word of comfort to Islamabad was that the US recognised the contributions and sacrifices of the Pakistani people who, too, have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism.
Meanwhile, India has welcomed Trump’s pledge to enhance efforts to confront issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support to terrorists in Af-Pak region. In response to Trump’s Afgha-nistan policy, the Government said that India shares these concerns and objectives.
“We welcome President Trump’s determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
In contrast to the invectives slapped on Islamabad, Trump heaped praise on India for its “important contributions to stability in Afghanistan”. But he wanted New Delhi to do more, remarking, “India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.”
Hailing India as the world’s largest democracy and a key security and economic partner, Trump described his push to bolster strategic partnership with India as a critical part of America’s South Asia strategy. “We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
Detailing his Afghan strategy, Trump assured Kabul that US forces would not leave the war-torn country in a hurry, but in the same breath cautioned that American support cannot be taken to be a blank cheque. He asked the Afghan government to shoulder its share of the military, political and economic burden since “the American people expect to see real reforms, real progress and real results”.
Trump took potshots at predecessor Barack Obama’s “hasty” pullout of US forces from Iraq thus enabling terrorists to regain their hold on territory, remarking: “We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.”
“Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on. America’s enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will,” he declared.
“Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge,” he said.
Refraining from announcing the much-speculated induction of 4,000 additional US troops, Trump said it would be “counter-productive” to lay out in advance numbers of troops or plans for new military activities. He instead spoke in general terms, saying America’s interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan would be to stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten the US, and prevent nuclear weapons and materials from slipping into the hands of terrorists.
Trump, whose job approval ratings have tumbled further in the wake of his comments the recent Charlottesville racial violence, sought to make amends by opening his address with a call to unify and heal, stressing: “When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.”