The Pakistan Administration does not think of the LeT or the Al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan/Pakistan as strategic assets. Which is why these groups have been banned inside Pakistan. However, there are local groups (Pashtun groups, Punjabi Taliban) that support the Al-Qaeda network inside Pakistan. Al-Qaeda is a clear threat to Pakistan, & it has been asking Pakistanis to overthrow the 'current un-Islamic Pakistani government", & encourages people to commit terrorism against the Administration. So in no way does Pakistan view these groups as assets. Even if the US leaves Afghanistan today, the Al-Qaeda network will not focus all their energies on Afghanistan: they will remain "engaged" inside Pakistan, till they enforce their distorted Shariah version over Pakistan. So Pakistan does not see these groups as assets. I think it is time to stop this baseless talk of Pakistan thinking of Al-Qaeda as assets.
This is where the problem lies: Pakistan & the US are at total odds. The US wants to eliminate the local Pashtun groups 'Haqqani network', 'Waziri network' (Mullah Nazir + Hafiz Gul Bahadur) that aid the Al-Qaeda network first, but Pakistan wants the complete opposite: Pakistan wants to deal with the international group of terrorists first, & then deal with the local groups that aid the Al-Qaeda. Pakistan feels that dealing with the local Pashtun groups & the Punjabi Taliban first will pose a huge danger to Pakistan, as compared to eliminating the Al-Qaeda first. While the US is focusing on tackling the threats of the local Pashtun groups in eastern Afghanistan, it is doing nothing to close down Al-Qaeda safe havens in Northern Afghanistan (Kunar, Nuristan, Kunduz). As a result, the Al-Qaeda terrorist networks are completely intact in Afghanistan, & infiltrate easily into Pakistan, & are then protected by the local Pashtun groups (Haqqani, Mehsud, Waziri group, TSNM etc; all groups) in the FATA. Even though these local Pashtun groups might not like each other, Pakistan is mainly focused on fighting the Al-Qaeda network & the groups that are a direct threat to Pakistan. Pakistan feels that once the Al-Qaeda network is dismantled from Afghanistan & Pakistan, it will be much easier to take action against the local groups that support the Al-Qaeda.
While Pakistan is focused on fighting the Al-Qaeda in FATA, the US is fighting the local Pashtun groups in eastern Afghanistan. As a result, the 'progress' in fighting terror by both Pakistan & the US does not really build on each other, & in effect, cancels each other out. In other words, the Al-Qaeda is like the head of a monster, & all the other local groups are the hands & the feet of this monster. Pakistan wants to cut off the head first, whereas the US wants to cut off the head & the feet first.
These are not reconcilable differences between the US & Pakistan, & Pakistan is biding its time till the US leaves Afghanistan; which is when Pakistan can take effective action against the Al-Qaeda, & then root out the local groups after that. Pakistan is not looking for any interferences, or counter-effects from the US inside Afghanistan, which is why Pakistan is "biding its time" right now, looking for "damage control", because Pakistan cannot influence events inside Afghanistan, & Pakistan cannot do anything about the US taking actions inside Afghanistan that are detrimental to Pakistan & destabilize Pakistan further.
This is where the problem lies: Pakistan & the US are at total odds. The US wants to eliminate the local Pashtun groups 'Haqqani network', 'Waziri network' (Mullah Nazir + Hafiz Gul Bahadur) that aid the Al-Qaeda network first, but Pakistan wants the complete opposite: Pakistan wants to deal with the international group of terrorists first, & then deal with the local groups that aid the Al-Qaeda. Pakistan feels that dealing with the local Pashtun groups & the Punjabi Taliban first will pose a huge danger to Pakistan, as compared to eliminating the Al-Qaeda first. While the US is focusing on tackling the threats of the local Pashtun groups in eastern Afghanistan, it is doing nothing to close down Al-Qaeda safe havens in Northern Afghanistan (Kunar, Nuristan, Kunduz). As a result, the Al-Qaeda terrorist networks are completely intact in Afghanistan, & infiltrate easily into Pakistan, & are then protected by the local Pashtun groups (Haqqani, Mehsud, Waziri group, TSNM etc; all groups) in the FATA. Even though these local Pashtun groups might not like each other, Pakistan is mainly focused on fighting the Al-Qaeda network & the groups that are a direct threat to Pakistan. Pakistan feels that once the Al-Qaeda network is dismantled from Afghanistan & Pakistan, it will be much easier to take action against the local groups that support the Al-Qaeda.
While Pakistan is focused on fighting the Al-Qaeda in FATA, the US is fighting the local Pashtun groups in eastern Afghanistan. As a result, the 'progress' in fighting terror by both Pakistan & the US does not really build on each other, & in effect, cancels each other out. In other words, the Al-Qaeda is like the head of a monster, & all the other local groups are the hands & the feet of this monster. Pakistan wants to cut off the head first, whereas the US wants to cut off the head & the feet first.
These are not reconcilable differences between the US & Pakistan, & Pakistan is biding its time till the US leaves Afghanistan; which is when Pakistan can take effective action against the Al-Qaeda, & then root out the local groups after that. Pakistan is not looking for any interferences, or counter-effects from the US inside Afghanistan, which is why Pakistan is "biding its time" right now, looking for "damage control", because Pakistan cannot influence events inside Afghanistan, & Pakistan cannot do anything about the US taking actions inside Afghanistan that are detrimental to Pakistan & destabilize Pakistan further.
