News Analysis |
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made telephonic contact with the U.S National Security Advisor John Bolton to discuss the regional security situation after a standoff between India and Pakistan last month. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while talking to John Bolton, termed India’s act of crossing the Line of Control as a gross violation of international laws and said that the response next day was utterly in the self-defense to Indian aggression.
He went on to state what Pakistan had done subsequently to deescalate the situation which was feared to go ballistic even days after the actual standoff between the forces of two countries. As per the reports, U.S National Security Advisor John Bolton appreciated the efforts which Pakistan carried out to cool things off at a time when calls for war were high, especially from Indian media and the ruling elite.
U.S Green Signal for Violation of LoC?
It has been widely discussed in the national and international media as to what the United States actually did to bring down the temperament between two nuclear powers. But the more significant question would be the role which it had played or the information it had before the Indian intrusion.
Pakistan was placed on the grey list of Financial Action Task Force over the loopholes in the system, which were exploited by extremist to generate monetary resources for their operations.
The first comment on record after Pulwama attack, from a significant figure in the U.S government, came from the same John Bolton who endorsed India’s right of self-defense. Out of many people who have been keeping a close eye on the conflict saw it as a green signal from the United States of America to India as to take whatever step it felt necessary. Such apprehensions ultimately resulted in the violation of Pakistani airspace and were made to run away by timely interception of Pakistan Air Force.
Catch-22 Situation for the United States of America
USA has engaged Taliban in the most comprehensive and promising round of dialogue in years, a feat which has been brought together courtesy of Pakistan as acknowledged on record by several U.S officials. The conventional United States would have latched onto Pakistan after the Pulwama attack due to its close ties with India, but the business which would ensure its “graceful” exit from Afghanistan was not over yet, so it resorted to keeping a relatively non-partisan line during the conflict, urging both sides to work together and deescalate the matter.
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Shah Mahmood Qureshi while speaking of the nature of relations with the United States has stated earlier that cooperation between the two countries over the Afghanistan situation has somewhat reduced the wedge which FATF had brought along. Pakistan was placed on the grey list of Financial Action Task Force over the loopholes in the system, which were exploited by extremist to generate monetary resources for their operations. The United States was the core orchestrator behind this move however after working together for the peaceful resolution of Afghan conflict things have changed, as per Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Pakistan had already made it clear that any aggression from India would necessarily impact the ongoing process of negations with the Taliban. Therefore, it should not be surprising if the United States played a key role behind the scenes to stop the military escalation right there. But the reports of the ostensible presence of Israelis along with Indians in the execution of a massive missile strike after Pakistan shot down and captured Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman open certain other avenues which both Pakistan and the United States need to discuss.
Read more: Indian attacks on Pakistan backed by Washington’s support?
At the moment Pakistan has the leverage to use its geostrategic significance for its own benefit to sort out issues pertaining to national security coming from regional and global adversaries. The cooperation in Afghanistan so far seems to be working and it should continue to do the same in the long run, for the best interest of the country.