WASHINGTON: China could play a “helpful role” in convincing Pakistan thatit is in its national interest to crackdown on terror safe havens, a seniorWhite House official has said.
The official said Washington is seeking to work with Beijing and otherregional players to convince Islamabad about the need to crackdown onterror groups.
The official said that dismantling terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is keyto bring stability in Afghanistan and in the region.
“Pakistan already has deep historical ties with China going back to manyyears and they have close military ties.
The economic relationship is also growing due to China Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC),” the senior administration official said on condition ofanonymity.
The US is seeking to work with other regional players and China would beone of the main ones to deal with this issue. It won’t serve China’sinterests to have terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan,” the official said.
The official was quick to point out that China has been playing a morehelpful role in terms of encouraging better relations between Afghanistanand Pakistan. “It is taking a more active role in this regard.”
“So, I would disagree with the assertion that China will not play a helpfulrole in convincing Pakistan it is in its own interest to crack down on theterror sanctuaries,” the official told a group of reporters on Friday.
“Ultimately, China is also working towards a stable Afghanistan. That’sgoing to take them back to the same issue which are the sanctuaries inPakistan,” the official said.
China-Pakistan relationship is already very strong and appeared unconcernedover reports that the US’ decision to freeze approximately USD 2 billion insecurity assistance to Pakistan would push Islamabad towards Beijing, theofficial added.
“That relationship is already very very strong. But what we have seen is aninterest by Pakistan in having a strong relationship with both the US andChina. So that’s one issue.
And the second issue is that China is also concerned about terrorism andextremism in South Asia,” the official said.
Noting that China has taken a more active role in trying to help stabiliseAfghanistan, trying to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan,the official said the US believes that China is also interested instability in Pakistan and also for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
“Ultimately if they want to see stability in the region, and I think theydo, they also will have an interest in seeing Pakistan crack down on theHaqqani and Taliban network,” the senior administration official said.
The Trump administration has suspended about USD 2 billion in security aidto Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the HaqqaniNetwork terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.
The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes after PresidentTrump in a New Year’s Day tweet accused the country of giving nothing tothe US but “lies and deceit” and providing “safe haven” to terrorists inreturn for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.