Trump's South Asian strategy under fire in Pakistan

U.S. President Donald Trump (Xinhua file photo/Yin Bogu)

Pakistan has showed disappointment at U.S. President Donald Trump's strategy on South Asia, which was described by independent political observers as insistence on military option in Afghanistan.

Trump, who unveiled his long-awaited future plan for Afghanistan early Tuesday, alleged that "Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror."

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," the U.S. president said.

He, however, received widespread criticism in Pakistan as a vast majority in the country believes the president ignored Pakistan's sacrifices in the war on terror which claimed the lives of nearly 73,000 people, including security personnel in terrorist attacks and anti-terror operations by the army.

Pakistanis would also have genuine concerns over Trump's strategy quest for India's enhanced role in Afghanistan at a time when Pakistan is accused of creating trouble in Afghanistan.

In his speech, the U.S. president appreciated "India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan" and said the United States wants India to help it more with Afghanistan.

Political and security analysts here argued that Trump failed to come up with a new approach to find out a solution to the Afghan issue and has insisted on military option.

Chairman of Senate Defense Committee Mushahid Hussain said that Trump is banking on a tried, tested and failed strategy, as what can 5,000 more troops achieve which 100,000 American troops could not five years ago.

"For the first since he became president, Trump seems to have embraced the traditional Washington or American Establishment Playbook on Afghanistan. I was hoping he'd make new mistakes, rather than repeat old ones," Hussain said in a statement to Xinhua on Wednesday.

On Trump's approach to India, Mushahid said that injecting India could result in a new debilitating and destabilizing proxy war with Pakistan in Afghanistan.

A former military brigadier Ishaq Ahmed said Wednesday that Trump is looking at a resolution through blaming and threatening Pakistan and it is unlikely to yield positive results.

"Bringing peace through military might is not an answer to the long-standing Afghan crisis. The U.S. must engage with Taliban to end the 16-year war, where the U.S. has failed to gain victory and with continuation of old muscle flexing strategy, the world may not witness peace in the region," said Ahmed, who is director of Intelligence and International Security Studies at South Asian Strategic Stability Institute University in Islamabad.

On Trump's approach toward India, he said allowing India more influence and space in Afghanistan is another serious folly which the United States is again committing.

He recalled that Pakistan categorically asked the United States in 2001 to limit Indian influence as that will be counterproductive from the viewpoints of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan's anger at Trump was also reflected in a statement of the country's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who on Wednesday told U.S. ambassador to Pakistan that his country does not seek U.S. aid but wants acknowledgment of Pakistan's sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

Pakistanis have genuine concerns at Donald Trump's dealing with the country when the country still faces the challenges of terrorism and violent extremism.

There is a perception in Pakistan that the country has suffered a lot due to terrorism as it had allied with the United States when the U.S. military launched operations against the Afghan Taliban regime in October 2001.