Ties between Pakistan's ISI and Taliban remain troubling for the United States and this relationship should be "fixed", a top US senator has said.
"It has been difficult for the US to build trust with the Pakistan's military and intelligence services over the years because US interests have not always been aligned and because ties between the ISI and Taliban remain troubling," Senator John Kerry said.
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was speaking at a Congressional hearing on 'Afghanistan's Impact on Pakistan'.
"We need to fix this relationship," he said, a day after the Congress passed a legislation to triple non-military assistance to Pakistan to USD 1.5 billion a year for the next five years. "This is a landmark achievement, but it is not a panacea. The money will help build roads and improve schools and healthcare. But it will not solve Pakistan's problems. Only Pakistanis can do that," he said.
"Just as we strengthen our civilian ties, we must understand that our actions in Afghanistan have profound effects on the security situation across the Durand Line," Kerry said.
Kerry also noted that the US cannot repeat the mistakes of the past when it pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989 and left the job undone. "A flood of guns, drugs and refugees swept over Pakistan and its leaders reacted by supporting the Taliban and other militant groups."
"President Obama and his team are working to develop the right strategy for Afghanistan. Only then can we make the right decision on resources. That decision must reflect our commitment to the Afghan people and to the security of the United States," he said. Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the stability of a nuclear powered Pakistan has implications throughout the Middle East and South Asia.
"It also is contending with an Al Qaeda sanctuary, an expanding Islamic insurgency, political uncertainty, and a shaky economy. These circumstances are a threat to Pakistan, the region, and the United States," he said.
Lugar said the rationale for increasing US commitments in Afghanistan depends heavily on its expectations of how events there might affect stability in Pakistan. "Although we should not diminish Afghanistan's strategic, symbolic, or humanitarian importance, it is clear that one of the most important goals of an enlarged American commitment to Afghanistan would be the preservation and potential enhancement of stability in Pakistan," Lugar said.
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