ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has a growing fear that the US might abandon it once again after its exit from Afghanistan next year. The Pakistan embassy has conveyed the message to the Obama administration in numerous meetings, according to the acting ambassador Dr Asad Majeed.
After attending an event on the Capitol Hill, he said Pakistani officials have been expressing concern, both publicly and in official meetings with American officials, that Pakistan could be left to deal with the fallout of the US withdrawal in the form of militancy and extremism in Afghanistan.
He said Pakistan had also asked the US to make sure that the exit process should not harm it. Quoting the idiom, ‘hope for the best and prepare for the worst,’ he added Pakistan hopes that history does not repeat itself.
‘The country is taking positive steps and is willing to cooperate with the international community, the US and Afghanistan to ensure peace in the region,’ Dr Asad said.
He reiterated that the relationship between the two countries was stable now despite the rockiness of the past two years. Now both countries believe that the door to talks in the event of any incident should remain open.
Meanwhile, concerns remain on the US side as well. Congressman Andre Carson hailed Pakistanis for helping the US quash extremism. He commented that the US cannot afford to abandon Pakistan, but also stayed skeptical of the country’s intelligence agency - the ISI.
Internews
