New strategy not a move to isolate Pakistan: US, Nato

E-Paper | May 24, 2026

WASHINGTON: The United States and Nato have jointly urged Pakistan not to see the new US strategy for South Asia as a move to isolate it.

“One reason why we welcome the new US strategy announced by President Trump recently is that it has this regional approach. And this region includes both Pakistan and India,” said Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg when asked if the new strategy could persuade Pakistan to move further away from the United States-led alliance in Afghanistan.

“Both those nations have to be included in a mutual approach. We urge all countries in the region to support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process,” he added.

The Nato chief said he did not see why including India in this regional approach should create any problems.

“I think in the opposite, if India is not included, that would be a big mistake. So, we urge all countries to participate, but as part of an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process,” he said.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said that President Trump’s strategy was an opportunity for Pakistan to engage in the counterterror campaign.

“The South Asia strategy is not exclusive of someone. It is inclusive for all responsible states that want to stop terrorism in its tracks and defend the innocent,” he said.

The quotes are from a transcript of a joint news conference that Mr Mattis, Mr Stoltenberg and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani addressed in Kabul on Thursday.

The transcript, released by the Pentagon in Washington on Friday, quoted Secretary Mattis as saying that the United States would be watching the choices Pakistan makes now.

“So far as Pakistan, we will watch Pakistan’s choices. We will engage with Pakistan,” he said.

“We will continue to work in a unified way between Nato, the coalition, the Afghan government and the other regional governments in South Asia as we try to set the conditions for a positive set of nations and teamwork against the terrorists, Taliban, IS [the militant Islamic State group] whoever they might be,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2017

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INDIAN

Sep 30, 2017 09:52am

India Will always help our friend Afghanistan...

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AngryCitizen

Sep 30, 2017 09:55am

Not interested anymore - keep playing with your strategies that inflict irreparable damages to the external suporting participants who are used like a tissue paper that stinks and needs to be disposed off.

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Shahid

Sep 30, 2017 09:56am

I appeal to the PM and COAS to please keep Pakistan away from the Afghanistan trap. The US leadership is playing in the hands of Israel and India and will never be a sincere friend of Pakistan. Pakistan should develop strong relationship with Afghanistan,Iran,China and Russia.

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Ahmed bin Babar

Sep 30, 2017 09:57am

Any dictated solution or dictated stakeholder shall lead to an utter failure...

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Khwarizmi

Sep 30, 2017 10:33am

Plese please please get us out from this war by sealing the border and terminating the NATO supply lines. No more wars. We are tired of it.

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Plain Talk

Sep 30, 2017 10:36am

Fabulous play by Pakistan under challenging circumstances. Just look at the change in tone by US leaders since Trump's loose, India pleasing statement which Pakistan rejected unilaterally and forcefully. It's simple: India needs US support for its mischievous work in Afghanistan, whereas USA needs Pakistan to have any chance of success there. Bullying Pakistan backfired badly for USA. "Go take your remaining $0.35 billion. Every PM is not NS."

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AngryCitizen

Sep 30, 2017 10:37am

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AngryCitizen

Sep 30, 2017 10:41am

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AngryCitizen

Sep 30, 2017 10:42am

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Ahmed

Sep 30, 2017 10:51am

Seal the border. Send Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan and close NATO supply lines. We still have time to get out of this mess.

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SHAHID SATTAR

Sep 30, 2017 10:55am

The difference in treatment starts from granting all sorts of facilities to India to allow it to become a member of the nuclear club with all the countries including Germany, Japan and others offering it all sorts of things to gain expertise they have at their end but denying all that to Pakistan. Our countrymen are no fools and they know what the plans are for the future that are being devised by our enemies to be who show their faces as being our friends.

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Tallat Mahmood

Sep 30, 2017 11:02am

We don't want war, I agree with khwarzimi. Big powers stop playing with weak countries. We already lost so many innocent lives and bad economy bcoz of these war games in this region. Let us live peacefully

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chauhan

Sep 30, 2017 11:18am

Thank you very much for your positive concern about Pakistan but we extremely sorry we had suffered a lot already by supporting US strategies in this war, and please please please forgive us, we fed up from this war,... So, please it's time to try your new partner (India) in Afghanistan against Taliban. And I hope India will support and give nationalities to at least 3,4 millions refugees and after 3,4 decades we will see their response as we are watching their attitudes against other Muslims minorities in India... Thanks

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Abdulla Hussain

Sep 30, 2017 11:20am

Pakistani mark everything, we don't forget matters concerning our security issue so easily. America has to change its attitude towards Pakistan if it wants to enter the hearts of Pakistanis. No government in Pakistan can take take unanimous decision over riding the will of its peoples.

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Zak

Sep 30, 2017 11:24am

Only issue Mattis should be addressing is the Kashmir UN resolution, if he wants peace in Afghanistan.

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Zak

Sep 30, 2017 11:26am

"Both those nations have to be included in a mutual approach. " No they don't, go back to the drawing board and come back with something worthwhile.

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Zak

Sep 30, 2017 11:30am

Jim Mattis said that President Trump’s strategy was an opportunity for Pakistan to engage in the counterterror campaign. Pakistani killed due to terrorism, Civilians 70,000, Armed forces personnel 7,000, injured 140,000. And you still blurt nonsense like that. We have lost more than you , Afghan and NATO. So don't act funny.

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Hasan

Sep 30, 2017 11:56am

Pakistan is good friend of USA.

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ASIFKHAN

Sep 30, 2017 12:18pm

Truth can't be ignored that the U.S is the destabilizing force in Afghanistan and South Asia..Peace will succeed only if foreigners leave the region.

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Asif A Shah

Sep 30, 2017 12:27pm

If India and Pakistan, both adversaries, can be inclusive in bringing about stability in Afghanistan, perhaps, both can be inclusive in solving Kashimir Problem as well.

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Texan

Sep 30, 2017 12:40pm

Same naive approach that has led to the wrong government in Iraq. If the intend was to take regional approach then neighbors like China and Iran should have been included!!. India will be dumped when Washington has completely milked the defense spending from India but until then its all about divide China vs India and sell arms.

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Hamed Quraishi

Sep 30, 2017 01:09pm

US and NATO strategy is for their interest! That is nothing new.

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Eager Beaver

Sep 30, 2017 01:32pm

This is a nonstarter NATO bigwigs. The sole interest of India in Afghanistan is to bleed and destabilize Pakistan. We see this policy or strategy of US or NATO simply against the interests of Pakistan.

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Akhtar

Sep 30, 2017 01:33pm

Time for Pakistan to close the chapter of helping the Americans . Pakistan has suffered too much in fighting someone else’s war. Maybe Trump can come himself and fight the Afghans ? No wait - he is a coward who can only spit his venom from afar.

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Zain

Sep 30, 2017 01:43pm

Pakistan should have the independent foreign policy, and stay away from the USA, Inclusion of Indian will be nothing butNuisance for Pakistan. Pakistan should keep its guards up to check India nefarious design.

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Rameay

Sep 30, 2017 01:50pm

Only solution to the Afghan problem is US gets out of Afghanistan and let the Afghan people decide their fate. Afghan people deserves due respect as they have won cold war for US, the war which it could not have won on its own by spending even billions of dollars. US also has no right over the natural resources of the Afghanistan which only belongs to Afghan people;

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Iron Brothers

Sep 30, 2017 02:03pm

Not just India, the role of USA or NATO is now over from Afghanistan. Please wrap up and pack up your business from Afghanistan. Let Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan handle the situation. They are competent and qualified to help Afghanistan from its problem. The peace in Afghanistan is critically linked to the peace in their backyards. Presence of US or India is not the solution to the problem. It is, in fact, the part of the problem in Afghanistan.

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Azmeen

Sep 30, 2017 02:25pm

Pak FM should do sufficient homework before meeting the State Secretary. He should not bring in his own perceptions which weaken the Pak position.

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Javed

Sep 30, 2017 02:49pm

Someone needs to tell the man that thausands of Pakistanis who laid down their lives was what? Non-participation?

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Zubaid

Sep 30, 2017 02:58pm

@Shahid UIGURS are our brothers and we have to save them from China

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Sep 30, 2017 03:07pm

Yet another silly joke by the biggest crony of Donald Trump after eating too many spices and vegetarian dishes in New Delhi.

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SHAHID SATTAR

Sep 30, 2017 03:09pm

How else do you isolate nations from the group you control except by falsely promising them that they will be treated at par with the others? You don't fool us Mr. Nato chief. Your game is too obvious for all the noise you are making about being holier than thou.

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Jawad

Sep 30, 2017 05:02pm

@INDIAN Please help Afghanistan and take all afghan refugees from Pakistan.

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Masood Hussain

Sep 30, 2017 05:25pm

U.s as well as India can never be friendly to PAKISTAN.

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Sep 30, 2017 06:55pm

@Jawad nope, we have plenty of poor to look after so we don't take refugees. Thanks. You make decisions so you bear the consequences. We love Afghans and will help them recover, we don't need advice from you given your performance in every department and decision.

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kamal

Sep 30, 2017 06:58pm

By nature the Americans are liars. More so under Trump. And least truthful is this 'mad dog' Mattis. Don't trust him one bit. The USA destroyed the Middle East and its claim to fairness by illegally and blindly supporting Isreal. In its containment of China it has befriended India without a thought about Pakistan. They are out and out liars who want to blunt China regional strategy by first demoting China's main ally Pakistan. And India has no role in Afghnaistan. If that is the case then PAkistan has a role in Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka and Asean as well. 100% liars the USA

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syed baqar ahsan

Oct 01, 2017 04:45pm

we also know both USA & India what is back in their mind since 70 years. Sandwich strategy won't work against us,China,Russia & Iran. Stop leaving in fools paradise Gen Jim Mittas our choice is too clear.

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Imran

Oct 01, 2017 06:48pm

"New strategy"? Enough with your new strategies. There is no new strategy. It's basically old wine in a new bottle. The bottom line is that the Afghans never have and never will accept a foreign occupying power on their soil. It goes without saying that the people of Afghanistan deserve to live in peace. But that will never happen until all foreign occupying powers have left the country. What the US and NATO can do and should do is to withdraw their forces from Afghanistan and help facilitate a process of dialogue both within Afghanistan and also among the countries in the region that have most at stake in terms of peace in the region. But of course that would require a superpower swallowing its pride and accepting reality which rarely happens. And the fact that we have Mr. Trump occupying the White house currently makes things that much more difficult.

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Sarwat

Oct 01, 2017 08:58pm

This is all crap. It is to corner Pakistan. US and INDIA playing chess with Pakistan.

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A R TX

Oct 02, 2017 12:14am

Pakistan had been dumped in 24 hours after Soviets retreated from Afghanistan leaving behind legacy 3m refugees, illigal arms, terrorism and drug culture. In 1965 durung the heat of war with India America put a freeze on arm supply to Pakistan. During past 15 years in meaningless war with Afghanistan US congress has continuously maligned Pakistan and was one day away from declaring Pakistan as a Terrorist state. At the same time using Pakistan for sacrificing its soldiers for land convoy and airports for bombers and drones. Pakistan is presently in a stratagic geoegraphic position to play its cards wisely. Declare " Nuetrality" and "No tilt to West." I have been watching since 1948, Afghanistan as sworn enemy of Pakistan and enjoying sweet heart relations with India. For UN membership in 1948 Afghanistan was the only country who objected and voted no to membership. No matter Chahbahar Port stunt Pakistan land corridor is vital for Afghanistan and other land locked Central Asia.

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El Cid

Oct 02, 2017 04:21am

Of course not. Don't see the obvious. Put blinders on.

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