Washington: Tension between India and Pakistan threatens regional stability and "largely drives" the latter's strategy in Afghanistan, a top US military officer has told a Congress committee.
"Tension between India and Pakistan continue to threaten regional stability and largely drives Pakistan's regional strategy, especially as it relates to Afghanistan," US Central Command Chief General Lloyd Austin said while testifying before the Congress's House Armed Services Committee.
He said the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan had created an opportunity to "normalise" America's relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"This may encourage the two countries to find common ground in countering the violent extremist organizations operating in their border region."
He said the US was working towards facilitating implementation of confidence building measures between Pakistan and Afghanistan to further reduce border tensions and increase military cooperation between them.
"Our desired end-state is a stable sub-region characterised by a low risk of conventional or nuclear war with regional states committed to non-interference with respect to their neighbors' internal affairs, the denial of sanctuary for violent extremist organistaions (VEOs), and the non-proliferation of WMD," the US CENTCOM chief said.
The general said, "We will maintain a unilateral capacity to conduct CT operations against high-value targets and groups in the region that pose a threat to the US or our core national interests."
He said the US would also work to improve military- to-military relationships by facilitating more frequent contact among the region's military leadership by encouraging multilateral training and operations.
Gen Austin said that while militants were present in the border areas, Pakistan had been taking action against them. Violent extremist organizations continue to operate in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and parts of eastern Afghanistan. These groups threaten regional stability, plan attacks against the US and partner interests, and pursue weapons of mass destruction, he said.
The US CENTCOM chief said the US has made substantial progress in its efforts to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan over the past year.
"We are encouraged by the leaderships' commitment to counter-insurgency operations in the FATA and openness to improve relations with Afghanistan."
He, however, expressed concerns about Pakistan facing a number of political, economic and security challenges that threaten to undermine the long-term stability of the state.
"Violent extremists operating in the country exploit these conditions for their own purposes. This is hindering the security forces' ability to protect the population from terrorist attacks," he said.
The general also lauded that Pakistani military's recent operations to clear militant strongholds in North Waziristan and other FATA regions. These operations have achieved "near-term successes". However, Pakistan will likely continue to face the threat of VEOs for the foreseeable future, he said.
He said that more positive rhetoric on Afghan-Pakistan relations from Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army chief General Raheel Sharif, combined with Afghan President Ghani's expressed desire for better relations, may foretell an effort by both sides to develop a more common view of the threat of VEOs operating in the border region.
"Of note, in response to the tragedy at the Army Public School and College in Peshawar in December last year, the leaders of both countries have demonstrated a desire to improve their cooperation going forward," he said adding that this is encouraging and represents progress and, USCENTCOM will continue to strengthening and solidifying this ‘important’ relationship.
