Beijing: Pakistan would keep fighting the Taliban in the country “to keep them contained”, despite mounting criticism from Western countries, a top Pakistani military think tank scholar said.
Lieutenant General Agha Umar Farooq, Chairman Pakistan’s National Defense University (NDU) during his visit to China, said Pakistan has been at the frontline against war on terror, but a semi-annual White House report that was published last week accused the country of lacking a “robust plan” to “defeat the Taliban” and “hold areas cleared of the Al-Qaeda-linked fighters”, China Daily reported.
He said, “Western countries have the bigger responsibility to control the dynamics. Without it, Pakistan suffers both economically and militarily,” adding that Taliban forces have been gaining momentum in Afghanistan.
Farooq said, “It’s easy to dump your failures on your neighbor, but it is difficult to take responsibility and speak the truth.” If Western countries really want to defeat Taliban in Afghanistan, “a more objective plan and pragmatic approach” should probably be taken, he said.
Regarding concerns about the potential for the Taliban to establish a political foothold in Pakistan, Farooq said that it will not be possible since they are not well-organized.
“In the recent election in Pakistan, which happened just three and a half years ago, even the religious party did not get more than three percent of vote,” Farooq said.
“I am looking forward to holding joint seminars and workshops on global issues ranging from disaster response, ethnic violence and extremism, as well as military and strategic cooperation.”
Farooq said that China was always a trusted ally and partner of Pakistan during the past six decades and military cooperation was never at a low level.
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