ONCE upon a time, there was a demand of Pakistan: do more, the Americans urged, against the Haqqani network in North Waziristan. That time eventually passed, with the Americans seemingly coming to the conclusion that overt pressure on Pakistan on the North Waziristan/Haqqani issue was counterproductive in other areas while perhaps also recognising that the post-surge pivot to eastern Afghanistan never materialised and dialogue with the Afghan Taliban became the more pressing concern. But, in what must surely come as a surprise for those outside the closed circles in which such matters are debated, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns has revived the do-more mantra on his visit to Pakistan this week. What that seems to suggest is that as the security and governance transition in Afghanistan approaches a critical phase, the US is once again worried about the power of the Haqqanis to impact security and stability in Afghanistan. And if that is the case, then as the de facto patrons of the Haqqani network, the Pakistani state could find itself yet again under renewed pressure.

Yet, where there is danger, there is often opportunity too. In the past, by swatting aside any plea, request or demand to squeeze the Haqqani network, the security establishment was essentially sticking to its hedging strategy — something that all sides involved in Afghanistan practise to some degree or the other. But if there has ever been a moment to stop hedging — not from some narrow, self-interested distorted security point of view, but from the perspective of desirable regional and national stability — this may be it. What was once one-way traffic in terms of accusations and the movement of militants has become two-way traffic across the Durand Line — with Pakistan having much to worry about in terms of the TTP leadership escaping to Afghanistan where it will almost surely find suitors eager to pay Pakistan back for its perceived sins over the years. From there, it would be a short hop to Fata truly going up in flames and the settled areas of Pakistan coming under renewed and intense pressure. A new understanding on cross-border militancy is important, and achievable. Policymakers here must also know that the drone campaign can be restarted with the flick of a switch.