WASHINGTON: The United States reminded Pakistan on Thursday that its struggle with terrorism will not come to an end until it makes a decisive shift in its policy of tolerance towards externally-focused groups.

Richard Olson, US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Obama administration had also conveyed this message to the Pakistani government, reminding Islamabad that there could be no peace in the region until these cross-border attacks stopped.

Mr Olson, who was the US ambassador in Islamabad before taking up his current position, also emphasised the need for a constructive relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which he said was essential for bringing peace and stability to the region.

Mr Olson noted that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan experienced a “significant improvement” when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani came to power but they “peaked and troughed” over the past year in part due to critical issues, including refugees, border management, and counterterrorism.

But he also underlined “some encouraging signs” of progress in recent months, adding that after a meeting in June between Afghan and Pakistani foreign policy chiefs, both sides agreed to coordinate at senior and tactical levels on border management issues. In the first tactical-level meeting in late July both sides agreed to meet again.

“We support this mechanism and believe that more bilateral dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan will increase prospects for mutual understanding, regional peace and stability,” Mr Olson said.

In the wake of the deadly August 24 attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan provided Pakistan with evidence that prompted the Pakistan military to conduct combing operations in a few key areas along the border. Pakistan is sharing the results of those operations with Afghanistan.

“Efforts to bring those behind the attack to justice are critical,” said Mr Olson, while noting that Pakistan’s military operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas were also important.

He noted that the Pakistani military had made progress in shutting down terrorist safe havens through Operation Zarb-i-Azb and most recently in Operation Khyber III in the Rajgal Valley of Khyber Agency.

Mr Olson noted that such operations aimed at restoring security to parts of Pakistan that had been used as terrorist safe havens for years. Pakistan had also worked with the United States to decimate core Al Qaeda, he added.

“While the progress Pakistan has made through its recent operations is laudable, its struggle with terrorism will not come to an end until it makes a decisive shift in its policy of tolerance towards externally-focused groups,” Mr Olson warned.

“US officials have been very clear with the most senior Pakistani leadership that Pakistan must target all militant groups without discrimination – including those that target Pakistan’s neighbours – and close all safe havens.”

The US diplomat told the Senate committee that Pakistan’s leaders had assured the United States of their intention to do so.

Mr Olson also welcomed Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif’s statement on July 6, in which he directed Pakistani military commanders, intelligence agencies, and law-enforcement agencies to take concrete measures to deny any militant group safe haven or the use of Pakistani soil to launch terrorist attacks in Afghanistan.

He acknowledged that Pakistan had also played a critical role in generously hosting 1.5 million Afghan refugees for nearly 40 years.

Mr Olson conceded that Pakistan’s contributions in this regard had been essential to providing asylum space for Afghans displaced by conflict and in furthering our goal of long-term peace and stability in the region.

“Pakistan should continue to uphold humanitarian principles and respect the principle of voluntary return, as outlined in the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees,” he added.

Ambassador Olson said the United Sates would also continue to support the India-Afghanistan relationship, including through the revival of a US-India-Afghanistan trilateral talks, which will take place next week on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

“We welcomed India’s provision of training and non-lethal security assistance to Afghanistan and its significant development contributions over the past decade-plus,” he said,

Mr Olson also appreciated China’s emerging role in the region, and welcomed its participation in the Quadrilateral Coordination Group.

“Russia and Iran can play positive roles in Afghanistan, but will require intensive US engagement to reassure them that they can place their faith in the Afghan government," he added.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2016