Zardari: US Withdrawal from Afghanistan Affected Pakistan
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, currently visiting Washington, stated that he plans to discuss Afghanistan-related issues with American officials.
Zardari claimed that Pakistan has been affected by the manner in which the US withdrew from Afghanistan and by the military equipment left behind in the country.
He said: “We talk about terror, we talk about Afghanistan, we talk about other things. That’s what we’ve spent the last couple of decades of this relationship discussing about.”
The Pakistani diplomat further emphasized the need to enhance regional and international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
The chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party added that effective discussions on this matter are planned with Washington.
He stated: “We need more cooperation, regional, international, on what are we going to do now that post-Kabul to deal with the remnants, with the terrorism that’s left over. As far as the weapons are concerned, you’d be astonished to hear, sometimes when we’re fighting these terrorist groups within Pakistani territory, the weapons that they have procured for the black market that were left behind in Afghanistan are more advanced than the policemen that they’re fighting against.”
The Islamic Emirate has not yet responded to these statements; however, it had previously urged Islamabad to refrain from making accusations that could harm bilateral relations.
Mohammad Zalmai Afghan Yar, a political affairs analyst, commented: “Pakistan is threatening the countries in the region. The Afghan government has announced an economy-focused policy. Can Pakistan convey the same message to Afghanistan? Can Pakistan abandon its economic bargaining and avoid collaborating with the U.S. in creating further problems for the Afghan government?”
After several months of strained relations, Kabul and Islamabad have recently upgraded the status of their diplomatic representatives from chargé d’affaires to ambassadors. It remains to be seen whether this improvement in diplomatic engagement will lead to resolving the existing challenges in their bilateral relations.
