WASHINGTON: The current political trouble in Pakistan will have no impact on the country’s nuclear realm, according to a US congressional report.

The report — ‘Pakistan Political Unrest’ — has been prepared by the Congressional Research Service and is being distributed among all US lawmakers.

“Any new erosion of the ability of Islamabad’s civilian leaders to oversee (or make) the country’s security policy likely will not affect the nuclear realm, which has long been assumed to be wholly ruled by the military,” says the report.

The CRS also notes that the PTI-PAT protest will also have no effect on the US government’s security interests related to Pakistan, which include nuclear security and non-proliferation, counterterrorism, Afghan stability, and normalisation of Pakistan-India relations.

The report points out that on counterterrorism and domestic counterinsurgency, Washi­ngton has for years been “confounded by and disappointed with the Pakistan Army’s apparent willingness to distinguish between Islamist militant groups”.

The army also spares from meaningful pressure those that are deemed useful as proxies with which to counter Indian or Afghan influence, the report adds.

Published in Dawn, September 11th , 2014