NEW DELHI: Reacting to a report released recently by Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) which called Pakistan a sanctuary for Taliban and Haqqani network, security experts in India said that they did not see any policy shift in Washington’s approach towards Pakistan.
What did the report say?
Pakistan is still a sanctuary for the Taliban and the Haqqani network and more of a threat than an ally for the US. The Trump administration should make it clear to Pakistan that it would face sanctions if it continues to support them.
Afghanistan is currently doing badly in fighting terror and poverty. The Afghans have to do far more to justify each future year of US commitment.
What’s Indian experts’ take on the report?
This is doublespeak on the part of the US. Pakistan supports terror groups openly and US knows this well. Let us wait and watch how the Trump administration takes the basic issues flagged by the think tank
— Ved Marwah, former chief of National Security Guards
The idea (flagged by the CSIS) is not new. This issue has been highlighted for years. We have to wait and see how the Trump administration conducts its policies towards Pakistan. The American and the Western forces have been involved in Afghanistan for the last 15 years. For years, forces have been killed in Afghanistan but America did not have the courage to take on Pakistan. There is no indication of a drastic shift in US’s approach towards Pakistan. A think tank suggesting something does not mean the administration will follow it
— Ajay Sahni, counter-terrorism expert