US should stop getting manipulated by Pak, cease all aid: Ex-Pentagon official | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

US should stop getting manipulated by Pak, cease all aid: Ex-Pentagon official

PTI, Washington | By
Feb 24, 2017 09:53 AM IST

“Let’s stop being manipulated by Pakistan. It’s time for the United States to restore dignity in its relationship with Pakistan,” he said in the opinion piece published in The Hill.

The US should stop getting manipulated by Pakistan and cease all military and financial aid to the country, a former top Pentagon official has said.

A former Pentagon senior advisor said Trump administration should suspend Pakistan’s non-NATO ally status and cease military aid and assistance payments.(AP Photo/ Representative photo)
A former Pentagon senior advisor said Trump administration should suspend Pakistan’s non-NATO ally status and cease military aid and assistance payments.(AP Photo/ Representative photo)

“As the first step, the Trump administration should suspend Pakistan’s non-NATO ally status and cease military aid and assistance payments,” Christopher D Kolenda, a Pentagon senior advisor from 2009-2014, said in an op-ed highlighting the Pakistan policy of duplicity in Afghanistan.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“Let’s stop being manipulated by Pakistan. It’s time for the United States to restore dignity in its relationship with Pakistan,” he said in the opinion piece published in The Hill.

“The United States should be prepared to add more penalties if necessary,” he said.

“These actions will not compel Pakistan to turn against the Afghan Taliban,” he added.

Kolenda is currently an adjunct senior fellow at CNAS and a senior fellow at the Center for Global Policy.

Even under a robust US-led sanctions regime in the 1990s, Pakistan was supporting insurgencies in Kashmir and Afghanistan, while still pursuing their nuclear program, he noted.

“These actions will, however, stop the mad practice of subsidising Pakistan while it undermines the US interests,” Kolenda asserted.

He said that the US should come to grips with the fact that it cannot accommodate the competing interests of India, Pakistan, Iran, and others in Afghanistan and instead, the US should back an Afghan declaration of regional neutrality in exchange for commitments of non-interference in the war-torn country.

“A regional forum, perhaps managed by the UN, will be needed to monitor and enforce these agreements. This way, no regional actor controls Afghanistan, and Afghan officials are less prone to play regional powers against the one another,” he argued.

The former Pentagon official recommended that America should also consider a “peace dividend” for Pakistan once Afghanistan achieves sustainable peace.

“This could include resumption of aid and assistance and consideration for a civil-nuclear agreement,” Kolenda said.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On