Pakistan has already made moves to strengthen its relations with China in the wake of the US decision to suspend military aid. Afghan observers wonder if Beijing and Washington are going to compete for Afghanistan.
Pakistan has already made moves to strengthen its relations with China in the wake of the US decision to suspend military aid. Afghan observers wonder if Beijing and Washington are going to compete for Afghanistan.Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Reza Gillani’s dashing to Beijing so soon after the United States announced it was suspending an 800 million dollar aid package to Islamabad has not been lost on political observers in Afghanistan.
Dr. Abdul Qaium Sajadi, who is on the International Relations Committee in the Lower-House, believes Prime Minister Gillani’s visit to China poses a big challenge to the US. It “proved that if the US stopped helping Pakistan, they will be replaced as the big power in the region.”
The China Daily newspaper analysing the Gillani visit said: “Close and friendly ties between Pakistan and China prove that Pakistani officials are trying hard to ensure Chinese military and economic support, even as US and Pakistani conflicts are increasing.”
Extorting money
China has promised Pakistan that it will not be abandoned mid-way – a pointed reference to the sudden decision to hold back the aid package which Bill Daily, chief at the US President’s Office, said was due to “(Pakistan’s) recent actions”.
Afghan experts have taken note of Pakistani Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar’s veiled threat that the US decision would affect the Pakistani army’s financial ability to patrol the border with Afghanistan. He said, “undoubtedly Pakistani army will not be able to financially deploy soldiers in the Afghan and Pakistan border areas.” The US was paying the Pakistani military to deploy its military to flush out al Qaeda and Taleban forces from hideouts in the border areas.
Reacting to the Pakistani defence minister’s statement, Afghan experts said the massing of 800,000 Pakistani troops in the border areas have not helped to either improve security or stop terrorism in Afghanistan.
Daud Kalakani, another member of the International Relations Committee, and Mirbat Khan Mangal MP, said to Killid: “Pakistan is extorting money for counterterrorism from the US – but they support and reinforce terrorism.” Pakistan is “deceiving the international community”, they added.
The Afghan government should appeal to the international community to put pressure on Pakistan, the MPs said.
General Zaher Azimi, spokesman in the Ministry of Defense, said the Taliban’s main training camps and headquarter are located in North Waziristan, but the Pakistani army has not launched operations in these areas though they have received millions of dollars from the US to fight terrorism.
“Regional rivalry will grow”
At a press conference last week, Lotfullah Mashal, spokesman for the Afghan Intelligence network told reporters Pakistan has never launched any operation against outlawed armed groups located in the country. They have only attacked Pakistani insurgents who are behind the suicide attacks on the Pakistani government.
Mashal thinks Islamabad is likely to hit back at the US by withdrawing its troops from the Afghanistan border. Because of its persistant rivalry with India, Pakistan is likely to go shopping for modern weapons “as soon as US completely suspends its aid”. General Aminullah Amarkhail, commander of the border police in eastern Afghanistan, warned regional rivalry will only grow.
But this did not appear to be a concern for New Delhi. Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna merely said while welcoming the US decision, “it is not good when one of the countries is being fully supported, because it will destabilise military balance in the region (South Asia).”
The loosening of Islamabad’s bonds with Washington will pave the way for China’s bid to supremacy in the region. In the last few years, Beijing has spread sphere of influence in Central Asia, particularly Tajikistan through increasing levels of military and economic aid. In fact after Russia, China is considered a regional power enjoying close relations with Tajikistan.
Member of Parliament, Dr. Sajadi believes China is working hard to penetrate the region, and “politically at least trying hard to decrease US threats to Chinese interests.” In Afghanistan where US domination is complete, he expects there will be more contests between these two powers for control.
