Fickleness of the US

While announcing their intent to accelerate mutual cooperation against terrorism, India and the U.S. declared that Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, D-Company, al-Qaida and the Haqqani network are major threats to the stability of South Asia.* After two days of discussions in Washington about a strategic and commercial partnership, both countries demanded action against the criminals responsible for the Mumbai attack from Pakistan. The Indian foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, said she was happy that the U.S. had understood India’s worries and had promised to work with India against terrorism.

After 9/11, Pakistan provided support — far beyond what it could afford — to the U.S. in its war against terrorism. This resulted in loss of life for Pakistan that exceeded the combined losses sustained by the U.S. and its allies. Pakistan’s economy was so severely damaged that it has been unable to recover even to the present day.

The U.S. secured success in Afghanistan with Pakistan’s help. Without Pakistan’s cooperation, the U.S. was not in a position to attack Afghanistan; nor would it have been able to extricate itself from the morass in Afghanistan. The U.S. used Pakistan for its purposes and then turned away from it. The U.S. went back, leaving Pakistan engulfed in the flames of terrorism and started cementing its friendship with Pakistan’s enemy, India. It forged defense and trade agreements with India and has now become more vehement in speaking India’s language.

One would like to know exactly what terrorist threat India is facing that the U.S. will help it to counter. In occupied Kashmir, India is terrorizing the people of Kashmir, who are fighting for their freedom. India has extended its range of terrorist activities to include Pakistan. It is India whose terrorist activities need to be checked. Yet, even in view of the circumstances, the U.S. is seeking to make India a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Through its support of India, the U.S. is endangering world peace.

It is high time for Pakistan to cease relying on the U.S. for its security and protection.

*Editor’s note: Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, D-Company, al-Qaida and the Haqqani network are considered to be extremist groups and terrorist organizations operating in or near Pakistan.