The United States views Pakistan as “a nation with ties to the Afghan Taliban,” the leaked documents show.
Islamabad:
The Biden administration is quietly pressuring Pakistan to cooperate in the fight against terrorist groups such as ISIS-K and al-Qaeda after the Taliban was captured in Afghanistan, according to a set of leaked documents and diplomatic cables to a prominent American media outlet.
Dawn newspaper on Saturday published a report citing a report released Friday by the Politico on a series of diplomatic messages recently exchanged between Washington and Islamabad after Taliban terrorists seized power in neighboring Afghanistan.
The messages show that “the Biden administration is quietly pressuring Pakistan to cooperate in the fight against terrorist groups such as ISIS-Khorasan and Al-Qaeda after the Taliban took Afghanistan,” the Politico, which obtained the sensitive but unclassified cables and other materials, reported.
In response, Pakistan “has hinted that Islamabad deserves public recognition for its role in helping people now fleeing Afghanistan, although it has downplayed fears about what the country’s Taliban government could mean.” according to the report.
The messages show that Washington sees Pakistan as “a nation with ties to the Afghan Taliban, cooperation in the fight against terrorism may be useful. It is also a country with nuclear weapons. US officials would prefer not to get completely lost by the Chinese influence “. .
China, Pakistan’s closest ally, has been closely coordinating it with the emerging situation in war-ravaged Afghanistan since Islamabad is said to have some influence over Taliban terrorists.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops on August 31 after a costly two-decade war. This forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country to the United Arab Emirates.
Taliban terrorists captured all major cities in Afghanistan in a matter of days, while Afghan security forces were trained and equipped by the US and its allies.
Thousands of Afghan and foreign nationals have fled the country to escape the new Taliban regime and seek asylum from different nations, including the United States and many European nations, resulting in total chaos and deaths.
On Wednesday, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland included Pakistan in a list of countries that provided “critical support” to U.S. evacuation efforts.
“We are hugely grateful to these countries, which have helped security transit Americans and others.” Earlier US statements had omitted Pakistan.
Exchanges between the United States and Pakistan “suggest that the two governments are far from being able to move forward, even now that the United States has withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan,” the Politico report noted.
In a discussion with a U.S. official, Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, Asad Majeed Khan, appeared to question reports that the Taliban were carrying out retaliatory attacks in Afghanistan.
Citing Pakistani “ground observations,” Khan told U.S. officials that the Afghan Taliban “did not seek retribution and in fact went from house to house to assure Afghans that there would be no retaliation.”
U.S. State Department official Ervin Massinga, however, said he “has seen reports to the contrary and hopes the Taliban will not seek revenge.”
The leaked documents include messages from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, which reported in Washington that “they were under pressure from the Afghan refugee crisis” and sought guidance on how to deal with the situation.
The meeting between Massinga and Ambassador Khan took place on August 26, the day about 170 Afghans and 13 American soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on Kabul airport by ISIS.
U.S. officials have blamed the attack on the ISIS group, seen as a rival to the Afghan Taliban. An official description of the meeting shows that Ambassador Khan offered condolences and use of the Pakistani medical facilities.
The US official, however, suggested that Pakistan could help on other fronts. “Recognizing the tragedy, Mr. Massinga stressed the mutual interest that Pakistan and the United States have in addressing ISIS and al-Qaeda.”
In response, Ambassador Khan “recognized that ISIS was also a common enemy for the Taliban.”
Massinga expressed his gratitude for Pakistan’s role in helping evacuees leave Afghanistan, according to meeting notes. The portions Politico saw did not specify exactly what Pakistan was doing.
At one point in the talk, however, Ambassador “Khan intimated that the Pakistani government would also appreciate public recognition for the country’s assistance to the evacuation front.”
An August 20 statement of thanks from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to several countries for his help in the evacuations did not mention Pakistan.
In addition to his interrogation of reports of Taliban retaliation, Khan also said that “the Taliban did not prevent any third-country nationals from reaching [the Kabul airport] but he acknowledged that there were some problems with the Afghans in passing checkpoints. “
Khan also highlighted “Pakistan’s effort to push the Taliban (while acknowledging that it was increasingly difficult to contact them) to form an inclusive government in Kabul.”