Amid an escalating diplomatic dispute, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that Pakistan risks major instability at home and a hampered war effort in next-door Afghanistan if it does not implement reforms and stop fomenting anti-American sentiment. In a speech Friday to the Asia Society in New York, Clinton said Pakistani cooperation was critical to the success of the fight against Taliban and al Qaeda extremists in neighbouring Afghanistan.
She voiced hope that US-led military efforts would split Taliban from al Qaeda in Afghanistan, laying the groundwork for a lasting political settlement. She reaffirmed US plans to start reducing troops in July and complete the drawdown by the end of 2014 as Afghans take charge of their war-torn country. Clinton said the surge in US-led troops over the past year was part of a strategy to “split the weakened Taliban off from al Qaeda and reconcile those who will renounce violence and accept the Afghan constitution”.
The top US diplomat said that the Taliban faced a similar choice as in 2001, when the US attacked Afghanistan and toppled the hardline regime for hosting al Qaeda leaders who planned the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. “Today, the escalating pressure of our military campaign is sharpening a similar decision for Taliban: break ties with al Qaeda, renounce violence and abide by Afghan constitution and you can rejoin Afghan society,” she said, adding, “Refuse and you will continue to face the consequences of being tied to al Qaeda as an enemy of the international community.” “They cannot wait us out. They cannot defeat us. And they cannot escape this choice.”
After the September 11 attacks, president George W Bush’s administration described the two groups as virtually indistinguishable. US troops, now led by General David Petraeus, have focused on taking the fight to Taliban. But key civilian leaders under President Barack Obama have put a focus on political reconciliation, arguing that many rank-and-file Taliban are simply seeking a livelihood and can be co-opted. Clinton was delivering an inaugural lecture in memory of hard-charging US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who served as Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan and was a leading advocate for a political settlement.
