Without Pakistan, US graceful pullout from Afghanistan will be a dream
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Pakistan has reacted cautiously to the threats of President Donald Trump, seen by many psychologists as a psychopath in the United States.
Islamabad does not want to have unnecessary confrontation with the US and many within the government in Pakistan do not take threats of Trump very seriously given his known temperamental problems of exhibiting his extreme posturing in addressing major domestic and international issues the policy statements of each of which subsequently have not fully translated into hard actions given their impracticality.
Nonetheless, if the US invokes any soft option, Pakistan may shut down the US led NATO supply line from Karachi to Afghanistan via its northwest and southwestern borders.
Pakistan had suspended the NATO supply line in November 2011 for over nine months after the US “ in friendly fire” killed 28 Pakistani soldiers on borders with Afghanistan.
The suspension of supply line had cost over 36 billion dollars to Washington. Islamabad can also suspend intelligence sharing upon which Americans have been relying heavily to target hideouts of militants on the shared border with Afghanistan.
And most importantly in the event, American jeopardizes bilateral ties with Pakistan on whatever grounds, their graceful pullout from Afghanistan would become very difficult.
As Islamabad would no longer use its influence on Afghan Taliban for a negotiated settlement of lingering Afghan war at a time when Russia and Iran have turned their guns against American interests in the region by supporting Afghan Taliban for their own geostrategic interests.
