SENATE confirmation hearings for an incoming military commander nominated by the US president are rarely insightful.

The nominee is usually careful to not offend or contradict the administration he is about to serve under, while senators tend to be respectful of American generals.

But neither are confirmation hearings a waste of time. Many a time, they provide insight into an administration’s inside thinking and the outside opinion of nominees whose credibility is at stake.

Last week, Lt-Gen John Nicholson, US President Barack Obama’s nominee for commander of American operations in Afghanistan, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee where, among other subjects, the general was asked about the Pakistani aspects to peace and stability in the Pak-Afghan region.

Effectively, Gen Nicholson suggested three things: one, the counter-insurgency campaigns in Fata have produced significant results; two, border cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan is vital; and, three, Pakistan needs to put further pressure on the Haqqani network in particular and the irreconcilable elements among the Afghan Taliban generally.

Taken together, Gen Nicholson’s comments amount to the cautious cajoling that other military and White House officials have indulged in in recent months. While acknowledging the Pakistani fight against militancy, there has been a subtle but significant push for the state here to do more.

In the words of Gen Nicholson: “Pakistan must take persistent action against the Taliban, particularly the Haqqani network. Pakistan’s pressure on the Taliban combined with its support to the reconciliation process are mutually reinforcing, and when combined, will help reduce the violence in Afghanistan.”

If the ‘persistent action’ and ‘pressure’ are meant to be military steps, then Pakistan must resist. The lack of a coherent US strategy in Afghanistan should not be allowed to bring a new war to Pakistan. While the Taliban should be nudged towards the negotiating table and cross-border militancy needs to be clamped down on, none of that remotely approaches steps that would amount to declaring war here against new groups.

What Gen Nicholson’s testimony glossed over was a reality acknowledged elsewhere by his boss, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter.

The fighting season in Afghanistan that is approaching may be the fiercest yet and the US troops are nowhere close to exiting Afghanistan.

For all the problems of cross-border militancy, what is undeniable is that the Afghan security forces themselves are far from adequate and the National Unity Government has been unable to deliver on governance issues.

It is the internal security and governance challenges in Afghanistan that ought to be paid equally urgent attention. Otherwise, a fighting season that is as tough as or worse than last year’s is likely to leave the Afghan state and the Americans too looking for scapegoats.

That may cause a deterioration in the Pak-Afghan-US relationship just when the focus would need to be on salvaging an intra-Afghan peace process. Better sense ought to prevail at the outset.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2016