Afghan peace tops army chief’s US visit agenda

[Devil Soul]

Afghan peace tops army chief’s US visit agenda
BAQIR SAJJAD SYED — UPDATED 29 MINUTES AGO

ISLAMABAD: A new push for the resumption of stalled Afghan peace process looks imminent as Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif embarks on a five-day long visit to the United States.

“There is a visible possibility for a new push for resumption of the reconciliation process,” a senior official said in a background interview with Dawn on Saturday.

Afghanistan, sources confirmed, was at the top of agenda of Gen Sharif’s visit, which commences from Monday. The visit, according to a Washington-based source, is being attached “unprecedented” importance.

Gen Sharif would meet Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday (Nov 19). Meeting at this level is rare for any military chief visiting US.

Other meetings that Gen Sharif would have during his stay in Washington include Secretary of State John Kerry, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Joseph Dunford, Army Chief of Staff Gen Mark Milley and Director CIA John Brennan.

Meeting with Vice President Biden is part of the schedule
“Some of the most pressing issues for us in the region would be discussed during the meetings with Gen Sharif. Pakistan is an important ally and people at the highest level are involved in this trip,” a senior US official said.

Gen Sharif’s second visit to US in a year has drawn special interest because of the expectations being attached to a Pakistani role for restoring peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan had in July hosted the first round of peace talks between Afghan government and the Taliban, but the process faltered ahead of the second round planned for July 31 when it became public that Mullah Omar was no more alive.

The sharp rise in violence in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the breakdown of the dialogue and the re-emergence of mutual mistrust prevented any meaningful move towards the revival of the peace talks.

Lately, there has been a flurry of diplomatic activity to patch up the broken relationship between Kabul and Islamabad and start the peace move afresh.

Gen Sharif, according to a source familiar with agenda, would emphasise on US to guarantee that any resumed effort would not be torpedoed from the elements within the Ghani administration, who are opposed to the process.

Gen Sharif made the first attempt at starting the process in February, when he conveyed the Taliban’s willingness to talk to President Ashraf Ghani, but premature leaks by the Afghan establishment delayed the process by months. The second attempt was made in the second quarter and the first round held on July 7 went successfully, but again Afghan intelligence leaked the news about Mullah Omar’s death before the second round leading to its cancellation.

An agreement between the NDS and ISI too was foiled by anti-Pakistan element in Afghanistan. Gen Sharif, who was the architect of the reconciliation process, does not want a repeat of that. “We want other stakeholders (US and China) to play their part for the success of any resumed process,” the source said.

Chinese Special Envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Deng Xijun, who last week visited Islamabad, had offered to facilitate the Afghan dialogue provided all stakeholders agreed.

Another senior Pakistani official said the renewed urge for a political settlement was visible in US because of the presidential elections there in November 2016. Therefore, the US would either like to see a revival of the peace process or ensure that at least there is no further deterioration in the security situation that could suggest that President Obama was leaving Afghan imbroglio unaddressed.

Developments in Middle East would also feature during Gen Sharif’s meetings, a source said.

About the help Pakistan needs from US for its counter-terrorism operations, a source said, Gen Sharif would call for controlling terrorist financing and better control with Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2015

 

[AhsanAmin]

I wrote something about our COAS's visit to America here. I am attaching the link to my post.

Machinations of American Embassy in Pakistan | Page 7

 

[VCheng]

I wish the good General the best of luck in making his case against India.


Army chief’s US visit - Newspaper - DAWN.COM

Army chief’s US visit
EDITORIAL

AS the itinerary of Gen Raheel Sharif’s visit to the US, makes clear, this will be no ordinary visit. From a democratic perspective, this is discouraging. While Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s White House visit weeks ago yielded a meeting with President Obama and Maryam Nawaz joined US First Lady Michelle Obama to unveil a female education initiative in Pakistan, there was a sense the more meaningful discussions on national security and foreign policy would occur during Gen Sharif’s visit. Now, with the army chief set to meet virtually every senior security and military official in the US barring perhaps President Obama himself, there is clearly much serious business to be discussed. While the military leadership has clearly grabbed a great deal of space for itself domestically, the government of Mr Sharif must be faulted too for this unhappy democratic state of affairs. Have, for example, the prime minister and his senior aides really demonstrated much enthusiasm for tackling the complex problem that is Afghanistan or offered an alternative vision to the security establishment-led policy on Afghanistan?

While the domestic civil-military imbalance is worrying, there are also serious national security issues to be addressed. The Paris attacks have shocked the world and made clear that the self-styled Islamic State’s goal is to wage a global jihad on a scale that dwarfs anything Al Qaeda attempted. Given the precarious security situation in Afghanistan and the widely acknowledged vulnerabilities that the Afghanistan-Pakistan region has to the IS ideology, there is an urgent need for stabilising political actions and greater cooperation in the fight against militancy. In Afghanistan, that would mean first and foremost reviving the stalled dialogue process between the government and the Taliban. While Pakistani officials have publicly suggested that the environment is not conducive for the immediate resumption of talks, surely the meetings in Washington this week can go some way to creating the conditions for a quick return to the negotiating table. As the Afghan, US and Pakistani — and even the Chinese — states appear to have realised over the last year or two, there is a convergence of interests when it comes to keeping IS out of this region.

It will not be easy, however. As background statements by senior security officials indicate, the military establishment also wants to emphasise the challenges that India is posing to regional stability. Be it the so-called India dossiers or talk of a possible civil-nuclear deal with the US or concerns about the size and scope of the Pakistani nuclear deterrent, the military leadership appears keen to emphasise its India concerns. While India does have the potential to destabilise the region by making unwise choices, it is also the case that the military leadership here appears to be largely in a complaining mode rather than seeking ways to keep tensions in check. A dose of positivity and pragmatism could go a long way.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2015

 

[The Vicious Kind]

I wish the good General the best of luck in making his case against India.


Army chief’s US visit - Newspaper - DAWN.COM

Army chief’s US visit
EDITORIAL

AS the itinerary of Gen Raheel Sharif’s visit to the US, makes clear, this will be no ordinary visit. From a democratic perspective, this is discouraging. While Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s White House visit weeks ago yielded a meeting with President Obama and Maryam Nawaz joined US First Lady Michelle Obama to unveil a female education initiative in Pakistan, there was a sense the more meaningful discussions on national security and foreign policy would occur during Gen Sharif’s visit. Now, with the army chief set to meet virtually every senior security and military official in the US barring perhaps President Obama himself, there is clearly much serious business to be discussed. While the military leadership has clearly grabbed a great deal of space for itself domestically, the government of Mr Sharif must be faulted too for this unhappy democratic state of affairs. Have, for example, the prime minister and his senior aides really demonstrated much enthusiasm for tackling the complex problem that is Afghanistan or offered an alternative vision to the security establishment-led policy on Afghanistan?

While the domestic civil-military imbalance is worrying, there are also serious national security issues to be addressed. The Paris attacks have shocked the world and made clear that the self-styled Islamic State’s goal is to wage a global jihad on a scale that dwarfs anything Al Qaeda attempted. Given the precarious security situation in Afghanistan and the widely acknowledged vulnerabilities that the Afghanistan-Pakistan region has to the IS ideology, there is an urgent need for stabilising political actions and greater cooperation in the fight against militancy. In Afghanistan, that would mean first and foremost reviving the stalled dialogue process between the government and the Taliban. While Pakistani officials have publicly suggested that the environment is not conducive for the immediate resumption of talks, surely the meetings in Washington this week can go some way to creating the conditions for a quick return to the negotiating table. As the Afghan, US and Pakistani — and even the Chinese — states appear to have realised over the last year or two, there is a convergence of interests when it comes to keeping IS out of this region.

It will not be easy, however. As background statements by senior security officials indicate, the military establishment also wants to emphasise the challenges that India is posing to regional stability. Be it the so-called India dossiers or talk of a possible civil-nuclear deal with the US or concerns about the size and scope of the Pakistani nuclear deterrent, the military leadership appears keen to emphasise its India concerns. While India does have the potential to destabilise the region by making unwise choices, it is also the case that the military leadership here appears to be largely in a complaining mode rather than seeking ways to keep tensions in check. A dose of positivity and pragmatism could go a long way.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2015

The military runs the foreign policy, largely due the sheer incompetency and the lack of adequacy of the foreign ministry. For more than two years, PM Nawaz sharif had failed to appoint a full time Foreign minister, instead giving that job to two advisers. One of which was also the acting National security adviser. The tenure of the previous government, did more harm than good, debacles like the memogate really added to the unreliability of the government when it comes to foreign affairs. This never used to be the case, as we had many independent charismatic foreign ministers who have held the establishment at bay. One example is Khurshed Kasuri, not to mention ZA bhutto was also once a foreign minister. We arent the only country, where the military call the shots, our eastern neighbor's military has been consistently vetoing the siachin withdrawl plans that were agreed in principle. They have also created hurdles for the Kashmir plan. This is also stated in ex-fm Kasuri's book.

DawnNews pieces are always half written and void of facts to back their unsound arguments. If you dont believe me, then go ahead ,read some of their other articles, like the one of Al Khalid or Agosta 90subs. They dont even get the pictures right. When it comes to strategic affairs, the seem awfully benighted.

 

[VCheng]

The military runs the foreign policy, largely due the sheer incompetency and the lack of adequacy of the foreign ministry. For more than two years, PM Nawaz sharif had failed to appoint a full time Foreign minister, instead giving that job to two advisers. One of which was also the acting National security adviser. The tenure of the previous government, did more harm than good, debacles like the memogate really added to the unreliability of the government when it comes to foreign affairs. This never used to be the case, as we had many independent charismatic foreign ministers who have held the establishment at bay. One example is Khurshed Kasuri, not to mention ZA bhutto was also once a foreign minister. We arent the only country, where the military call the shots, our eastern neighbor's military has been consistently vetoing the siachin withdrawl plans that were agreed in principle. They have also created hurdles for the Kashmir plan. This is also stated in ex-fm Kasuri's book.

DawnNews pieces are always half written and void of facts to back their unsound arguments. If you dont believe me, then go ahead ,read some of their other articles, like the one of Al Khalid or Agosta 90subs. They dont even get the pictures right. When it comes to strategic affairs, the seem awfully benighted.

The topic here is not Dawn and not why the Army runs foreign policy, but the COAS's visit to USA, right? I think we can agree to wish him all the best in his efforts to get US support if he can make his case against India successfully.