Pakistan has in the past funneled to the terrorists themselves the money it received from the U.S. to fight terror. What safeguards are in place now to make sure that doesn’t happen again? Why, none. To ask for any accountability from Pakistan would be “Islamophobic.”
“US to keep funding Pakistan after pullout,” by Wajid Ali Syed for The News International, January 29 (thanks to Lookmann):
WASHINGTON: Pakistan wants the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) to continue after the US/ISAF forces leave Afghanistan in 2014, arguing that it has to deal with cross-border terrorism. It seems that the US accepted the argument and has offered to chart out a framework by next month.
“The need for the CSF persists so the security assistance should continue,” Sartaj Aziz, Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs, said here on Monday night.
The majority of the US assistance to Pakistan is from the CSF which is reimbursement to Pakistan for expenses already incurred in fighting terrorism. Sartaj Aziz said that defence cooperation between the US and Pakistan remains important and procurement of valuable defence related equipment for Pakistan is under discussion as well. He said he had discussion with the US Secretary of State John Kerry on the matter and between the US and Pakistan,” Aziz said.
He highlighted that withdrawal of western forces from Afghanistan will deepen pressure on Pakistan, saying that border infiltration remains a concern for both the US and Pakistan which calls for a proper border management strategy. He said that as much as 100,000 Afghan people cross the border into Pakistan everyday, adding that Interior Ministry officials will visit Kabul soon to discuss the issue. He said a robust system titled “Easement Rights” needs to be applied that allows Afghan immigrants to cross the border legally with proper documentation.
He continued that the power vacuum in Afghanistan should be filled by Afghan people through a political system. “Pakistan believes in non-interference and there should not be any proxy war at work in Afghanistan,” he said, “there can be no peace in Afghanistan unless all countries of the region follow the same policy of non-interference and having no favourites in that country.”
Sartaj Aziz emphasised the same point as well during his ministerial-level meeting with the Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department earlier on Monday. It was also raised in the joint statement issued after the meeting was concluded.
The statement said: “Both sides reiterated their call on the Taliban to join the political process and enter into dialogue with the Afghan government.”Answering a question, Sartaj Aziz said that Bilateral Security Agreement between the US and Afghanistan was not Pakistan’s concern.
“It is a matter for those two countries to decide, and Pakistan would not like to force Afghanistan into signing the accord,” he said. He added that experts assess that Afghan security forces would at the moment need support to combat insurgency. “Our concern is that hostilities in Afghanistan can spill over into Pakistan. We could have a flood of refugees if there is infighting in Afghanistan,” he said.
The joint statement mentioned that Pak-US partnership was important for world security. It marked the Aziz-Kerry ministerial meeting discussed varied issues from cooperation in energy sector to building foundation for inclusive economic growth. It also focused on shared security challenges. The meeting decided that a follow-on Defence Resourcing Conference should be held in February. Both countries will also participate in the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.
They also welcomed plans to convene the Law Enforcement and Counterterrorism Working Group in March.
Labelled as ‘Advancing Regional Peace and Stability’, both countries recognised the paramount importance of regional stability and stressed that a peaceful, stable, independent and united Afghanistan was in the interest of the region. They shared their mutual conviction that a stable and peaceful Pakistan-Afghanistan border was important for the success of counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and counter-IED efforts, and that cross-border militancy was a serious threat to both countries. Secretary Kerry and Adviser Aziz also recognised the potential for enhanced stability and prosperity from improved bilateral relations between Pakistan and India.