Afghan President Demands Pakistan Do More to Rein in Taliban - WSJ

Ashraf Ghani issues ultimatum, threatens to end diplomatic thaw between the neighbors

KABUL—Afghan President Ashraf Ghani warned Pakistan he would reverse a diplomatic outreach unless Islamabad clamps down on Taliban activities and puts its leaders under house arrest, venting frustration as Kabul faces an onslaught of attacks by the insurgents.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it was committed to peace and bettering relations with neighbor Afghanistan, adding that they share a common enemy.

Mr. Ghani’s office said in an official communication to Pakistani political and military leaders that if Islamabad is serious about helping bring peace to Afghanistan, it should quickly rein in the Taliban.

“Regardless of his firm commitment to peace, President Ghani has no choice but to become a war president to ensure the survival of his country and the safety of Afghan women and children,” the letter said.

The tone of the letter, sent in recent days and viewed by The Wall Street Journal, suggests Kabul’s patience is wearing thin with Pakistan’s military and foreign-policy establishment.

Mr. Ghani spent his first months in power courting Pakistan’s leadership to end years of mutual hostility, with the ultimate goal of getting Islamabad to facilitate a peaceful solution to the Afghan conflict by bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.

In recent months, relations began to thaw. During a visit to Kabul on May 12, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the Afghan Taliban in unusually strong terms, saying attacks carried out as part of the insurgency’s ongoing offensive are tantamount to acts of terrorism.

But Pakistan has been slow to deliver actions to back up its words, Afghan officials say. And the Afghan president has come under fire by both friends and foes, who accuse him of selling out the country to Pakistan. The letter appeared to be a response to the public outcry. Pakistani civilian and military officials said they were unable to confirm the letter had been received.

In the letter, the Afghan government asks Pakistan to prove its commitment to peace by taking eight steps. They include a request to place under house arrest members of the Taliban’s leadership councils who are based in the cities of Quetta and Peshawar.

It also asks Pakistan to go after the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, whose militants were largely spared during Islamabad’s offensive in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas.

U.S. and Afghan officials suspect the group was behind many of the bloodiest attacks carried out in Afghanistan.

On Sunday, Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security said it seized 16 tons of explosives that belonged to the Haqqani network. They were hidden under firewood in a truck that crossed the border from Pakistan. Islamabad acknowledges it has some influence over the Taliban insurgency, but it has repeatedly said it doesn't control it.

Pakistan’s military leadership had earlier told the Kabul government that it was pressuring the Taliban to call off their annual spring offensive, according to Mr. Ghani’s office. But that effort failed, and the insurgency began its offensive in April, with heavy fighting in provinces such as Kunduz, Uruzgan and Helmand and several high-profile attacks in Kabul. The letter conveyed a mounting sense of frustration. - Read More at WSJ

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