US pullout of Afghanistan leaves Pakistan on edge

The end of the US combat missions in Afghanistan this week has left Pakistan fearing an Iraq-style breakdown in security leading to blowback from resurgent Islamist extremists.

The fears come as the country, labelled “half an ally” by some Western officials for its tolerance of Taliban safe havens along the border with Afghanistan, renewed its fight against the group after it launched a brutal attack on a school in the northern city of Peshawar last month.

The massacre of 150 people, mostly children, shocked the country and prompted senior Pakistani officials to describe it as the country’s 9/11 — a comparison to the New York terrorist attack of 2001 that sparked the US campaign in Afghanistan.

“If Afghanistan collapses like Iraq, we will live with the consequences,” said one senior security official. “The Americans came due to their own 9/11 and they are leaving Afghanistan right after Pakistan’s 9/11. For us [Pakistan], the Peshawar attack was a turning point.”

Since the attack, Pakistan tried to demonstrate stronger resolve in combating jihadi violence, resuming executions of those involved in previous terrorist attacks and debating the establishment of military courts to speed up trials of terrorism suspects.

The measures have coincided with a Pakistan army campaign against Taliban militants in the north Waziristan region along the Afghan border, which began in June 2014 after an audacious attack on Pakistan’s biggest airport in Karachi by Taliban-backed Uzbek jihadis.

But analysts warn that Pakistan’s future security prospects will be closely linked to the ability of Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan president, to steer his country through what is likely to be a tumultuous period.

In recent months, Taliban militants have increased their attacks on Afghan government targets and western troops, indicating a determination to gain the upper hand on the battlefield.

“The main problem for Pakistan is that more instability in Afghanistan will come around to hit us badly. It’s a high risk situation for Pakistan,” said Arif Nizami, a former Pakistani minister.

“Looking at the situation from Pakistan, the government in Kabul is seen to be weak, which then raises questions over [Afghan] president Ashraf Ghani’s ability to take charge [of Afghanistan] after the US led war is scaled down.”

“Looking at the situation from Pakistan, the government in Kabul is seen to be weak, which then raises questions over [Afghan] president Ashraf Ghani’s ability to take charge [of Afghanistan] after the US led war is scaled down.”   Read More at FT

US pullout leaves Pakistan fearing blowback