ALI HUSSAIN

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said Pakistan denies the US allegation of presence of terrorist ‘safe havens’ in the country, but the two sides are trying to bring convergence in the divergent perceptions over restoration of peace in Afghanistan, while the US envoy called for actions against “all terror groups, including the Haqqani network in Pakistan, which threaten the region’s stability.”

Talking to reporters after addressing the 4th Round of US-Pakistan Bilateral Dialogue titled “Convergence amid Divergence: Identifying pathways to cooperation in a challenging environment,” the foreign minister reiterated that blaming Pakistan for the problems of Afghanistan is completely unfair.

The Dialogue was organized by Regional Peace Institute (RPI) in collaboration with US Embassy Islamabad and Wilson Center, Washington DC, which was also attended by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, US Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale and delegates, mostly former ambassadors from Pakistan and the US.

With regard to the US allegations of ‘safe havens’ and presence of terrorists in the country, Asif said that many things need to be done by the Afghan government itself and by the countries present there for the last two decades. He said that they need to do more for establishing the writ of the Kabul’s government, controlling the drug trade, intra-governmental and tribal conflicts, and ethnic rivalries.

“If the US and its allies couldn’t succeed in resolving these issues in the last two decades, blaming Pakistan for all these problems is absolutely unjustifiable. We deny all these allegations being leveled against us,” he said.

However, he said that there are issues due to which these llegations are being leveled which included lack of an effective border management, the Indian role as a facilitator in Afghan peace process and the issue of Afghan refugees.

“There is a difference in perceptions but objectives are the same of all the nations including of the US that peace should be restored in Afghanistan,” he said, adding the conflict that continued for the last four decades needs to come to an end so that the Afghan people can live in peace.

Peace in Afghanistan and the region is the top most priority of Pakistan, he pointed out, adding the efforts of Pakistan for the restoration of peace are for its own interest and for its own people. “We are doing these efforts [against terror] for our own interests and the interest of other countries of the region comes after that, as peace is necessary for Pakistan,” he asserted.

He admitted that there is divergence in approaches among the countries with regard to restoration of peace in Afghanistan, but contacts are intact due to which efforts are made to bring convergence in the approaches and evolve consensus.

To a question, he said there are a number of pressure groups who have vested interests in Afghanistan and want the conflict to continue. “The Afghan government needs to remove these elements from its ranks. They [Afghan authorities] also need to take practical steps for the restoration of peace and take actions within its own country as well,” he added.

On the repatriation of Afghan refugees, he said the issue was discussed with the US authorities who stated that the situation in Afghanistan does not allow the return of the refugees. “This is not our responsibility [any more]…they [US] used billions of dollars on the war efforts and if they could invest another two to three billions of dollars on the refugees, the blame game can come to an end for ever,” he asserted.

Earlier, addressing the participants of Track-II dialogue, the Foreign Minister said that Pakistan’s effective counterterrorism efforts have dismantled the surge of terrorist networks.

Asif said that there is no organized presence of terrorists in Pakistan, adding “with self-defense and self-interest as our first priority, we are fully committed to protecting the sovereignty of our motherland.”

He said that Pakistan will also not allow its soil to be used against any other country, adding intelligence sharing is imperative for improving border management with Afghanistan.

He further said that it is unfair to blame Pakistan for whatever ailments Afghanistan have today, as Pakistan has eliminated terrorism from its soil after great sacrifices and now there are no terrorist ‘safe havens’ here. However, he said that Pakistan is ready to take action if actionable timely intelligence is shared with Pakistani authorities.

He said that Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts have prevented countless militant attacks in the US and Europe, adding that both Pakistan and US have a lot of work to do in fighting negative perceptions.

He said, “With peace and stability in Afghanistan as our ultimate goal, Pakistan has been and is ready to extend every possible cooperation to achieve the objective.”

On the US South Asia Policy and the role of India, the foreign minister said that Washington has assured Islamabad that New Delhi’s role in Afghanistan will be limited to economic assistance only.

He said Pakistan welcomes mediation by the US in easing its ties with India as Pakistan has always opted for a comprehensive dialogue for peaceful neighborhood. He said that Pakistan has also reached out to other regional countries and regional fora like SAARC in its efforts for peace in Afghanistan.

He emphasized that SAARC should be activated and steps be taken for promotion of regional trade as the region has long been suffering due to instability in Afghanistan.

US Ambassador David Hale, in his address to the audience, said that India’s role in Afghanistan is restricted to economic assistance only. He that Secretary of State Tillerson during his visit to the region urged both Pakistan and India to improve their relations in a sustained and comprehensive manner.

“In our target, the secretary encouraged India to do more to support Afghanistan economically and encouraged both Pakistan and India to resume dialogue and reduce tension,” he added.

“The world looks towards both the countries to safeguard against a nuclear conflict in South Asia,” he added.

Hale also repeated the US mantra of “do more” against the alleged ‘safe havens’, saying: “Our South Asia Strategy also looks to Pakistan for decisive action against all terrorist groups operating from its soil.”

He also acknowledged that Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism at the cost of so many soldiers and civilian lives, adding Pakistan has been at the frontline in the efforts to defeat al-Qaeda and ISIS in South Asia. “We ask for equal diligence and decimating all the groups, operating in Pakistan which threaten the region’s stability, including the Haqqani network,” he said, adding the US seeks a sustainable and universal effort, that was also stated publicly by Pakistani authorities, an “end of the use of Pakistan’s soil for attacks against the neighbors.”

“How could and why should we expect anything less from this proudly sovereign state [Pakistan] for any exercise of sovereign control over its territory. With the US committed to denying the Taliban military victory, Pakistan is much to gain from ensuring its own legitimate security interests and advance the negotiated settlement between the Taliban and Afghan government,” he said.

He said that it is now the time that Pakistani leaders should create an environment where terrorist groups can no longer launch cross-border attacks and see no alternative to negotiations.

“Secretary Tillerson has conveyed to the political and military leadership in Pakistan that the Pak-US relations are at a crucial juncture and if Pakistan’s leaders chose not to take advantage from this opportunity for cooperation, we will act accordingly, but together we have much to gain through cooperation,” he concluded.