ISLAMABAD – In what may be Pakistan’s strongest warning to the UnitedStates yet, its Army on Thursday warned that it would not allow ‘unilateralaction’ on its soil – even if it is undertaken by friends, Zee News hasreported.
Relations between Pakistan and the US have been steadily deterioratingafter repeated warnings from Donald Trump administration asking Islamabadto crackdown on home-grown terrorist outfits.
Several key figures in the US administration have also warned that thecountry would take matters into its own hands if Pakistan does not deliver.Pakistani Army though remains determined to protect its territorialintegrity. “The armed forces are working with friends and want to continuedoing so, but there can be no compromise on our national honour.
We do not want a conflict with our friends, but will ensure the security ofPakistan,” said Pakistani Army spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor.
His statement comes on the backdrop of repeated warnings from the US. CIADirector Mike Pompeo earlier this month had said his country would ensurethe elimination of “terrorist safe havens” in Pakistan. Earlier in theyear, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Pakistan with the samemessage.
He later said that Islamabad was even warned terrorists in Afghanistan maysoon begin looking at compromising Pakistan’s territories if the countryfailed to act against those who supported them from their own country.
The reaction in Pakistan to US messages have been rather hostile. Securityexperts believe Pakistan is banking on its ties with China to counter US’aggression’ – even as it continues to maintain that it is a victim ofterrorism and not its sponsor.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif also said that the US must accept itsfailures and defeat in Afghanistan. “Their failures over the past 16 yearsin Afghanistan is before them. There will only be room for improvement ifWashington accepts their defeat, their failures in Afghanistan,” he hadtold Pakistani senate.
A media report said that China and Russia have assured Pakistan at thediplomatic level that they would veto any US move in the United Nations toslap economic sanctions on Islamabad over failure to eliminate terror safehavens.
In all of this, once firm allies – the US and Pakistan have now becomesuspicious of each other.