Pak's India-centric 'strategic depth terror safe havens' policy to be its downfall: Editorial

Islamabad -  An editorial in a Pakistani daily has said Pakistan is in no position to fight the United States and NATO, nor is it able to afford and withstand any sanctions that may follow, adding  that a serious rethinking and revisit to its India-centric 'strategic depth' policy is required.

In recent months, the U.S.-Pakistan relationship has deteriorated from bad to worse and the two sides seem to be on a collision course, the editorial stated.
 
The issue of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is becoming more and more serious. Most attacks that have taken place in and around Kabul have been traced back to the Haqqani network, a  terrorist outfit that many believe Pakistan's generals and agencies are turning a blind eye towards, it said.

The editorial said that it is quite simple: if and when the U.S. declares the Haqqani network a terrorist outfit, which it has repeatedly warned it will, Pakistan would automatically be declared a  terrorist harbouring state. This would not only invite immediate sanctions by the UN but all sorts of other troubles as well, including potential attacks by the U.S., it added.

The question to be asked is whether our military establishment, in its zeal to secure the western border and so-called strategic depth in Afghanistan by ruling Kabul through such proxies, is  putting Pakistan at greater risk than it can possibly afford, it stated.

The U.S.-Pakistan relationship has been challenging from the start, where both sides are to blame for a number of misgivings. It is neither in the U.S.'s or Pakistan's interests to allow the

relationship to continue spiralling down towards a complete breakdown, it said.

The editorial stated that it is in the interest of both the countries to better manage it, despite the estrangement. But there is one inescapable conclusion- Pakistan has to do more about the  terrorist safe havens inside the country. This is a matter that is in its control, it concluded.