These include the gains made by Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the formidable challenge of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), its splinter groups and Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS); our civilian and military authorities' failure to see a bigger picture insofar as the war on terror is concerned.
The writer, though eloquent and impressive, seems to have overlooked the present highly unsavoury, in fact alarming, situation that is obtaining in relation to Pakistan-India relationship. This has led to turn even Ashraf Ghani-led Afghanistan into a hostile and belligerent neighbour of Pakistan. The recent happenings near the Pak-Afghan border constitute a strong case in point.
That the situation is quite complex is a fact that the writer has summed up in his conclusion by saying, "As to shifting the blame on Afghanistan for not 'acting' against the terrorists on its soil, be careful what you wish for since this is a demand that could come back to bite us in the context of the Afghan Taliban 'terrorists' we have been harbouring on our soil since 2001."
The situation, however, in my view underscores the need for taking some 'creative steps'. And what constitutes 'creative steps' will be the revisit of our foreign policies vis-à-vis our neighbours without any further loss of time. Last but not least, India would make every possible attempt to fuel Afghan belligerence against Pakistan. Our policymakers must therefore take a leaf out of China's Wei qi, the game of 'surrounding'; also the art of war.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017