Obama Uses Stern Statements for Pakistan

U.S. President Barack Obama has once again delivered stern statements to Pakistan on the issue of terrorism. He said that Pakistan can take effective action against terrorist groups operating from its soil, and it should. Obama said in an interview that, along with declaring terrorist organizations operating from its soil as illegal, it should also make sure that they are completely destroyed.

After the Pathankot attack, President Obama’s advice and warning are welcomed by India. Obama rightly said that Pakistan has a chance to show the world that it is serious about taking action against terror. Citing the Pathankot airbase terrorist attack as another example of the inexcusable terrorism India has been facing for a long time, Obama appreciated Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

As I said earlier, Obama’s advice and warning to Pakistan that it should work on destroying terrorist networks are welcome, but the fact is that the U.S. is known for double-talk and is very difficult to trust. On the one hand, it criticizes Pakistan, and on the other hand, it talks about giving F-16s to Pakistan, knowing very well that these will be used against India. Billions of dollars are given in aid to Pakistan so that it can strengthen these jihadi organizations.

We can also understand America’s compulsion. It has to flee Afghanistan through any way possible, and in order to do so, it desperately needs Pakistan’s help. On the one hand, the U.S. is leading the campaign against terrorism, and on the other hand, it is also avoiding taking appropriate action against the countries that, for some reason or another, are directly or indirectly supporting it. If we add President Obama’s remarks to our Republic Day’s chief guest, French President Francois Hollande’s statement, in which he described India’s policy of seeking an explanation from Pakistan in the context of the Pathankot attack as the right thing to do, it is clear that the world’s largest countries consider our neighbor as a sponsor of terrorism.

It is disappointing that even when the U.S. president is in the final months of his term, he is double-talking in terms of Pakistan and just giving assurance to India. It would be reasonable that, in the context of Pakistan, Obama back his words with actions, so that we can fight against terrorism properly.