AN unusual decision by the US suggests that behind the ongoing diplomatic engagement lie deep strains that, if not managed carefully, could lead to a rupture in bilateral ties. Seeking to add Abdul Wali, aka Umer Khorasani, leader of the Jamaatul Ahrar faction of the banned TTP, to a UN sanctions committee list was a sensible move by Pakistan. Blocking the Pakistani move, as the US has done, is insensible. The JuA as an organisation was added to the UN sanctions committee list in mid-2017, while in October, a US drone is believed to have targeted Khorasani, who was initially reported to have been killed in the attack but survived. What, then, does the US hope to achieve by blocking Pakistan’s request? With no reasonable or positive answer readily available, it would appear that the US is using what it perceives to be leverage against Pakistan to bring this country’s actions fully in line with US demands in the region.

The US blocking manoeuvre in the UN has also come at a time when a tussle over diplomats between the US and Pakistan may significantly disrupt diplomatic ties. The threatened imposition of travel-related restrictions on Pakistani diplomats and their families in the US is now a reality. In retaliation against the unfair US move, Pakistan has announced reciprocal measures against US diplomats in this country. The ill-timed squabble is likely diverting diplomatic energies away from substantive issues. It appears that the US is intent on ratcheting up pressure on Pakistan, presumably as part of the do-more mantra that is once again being shrilly deployed. But such manoeuvres are unlikely to be effective because even if short-term concessions are wrested from Pakistan, they will come at the cost of further vitiating the diplomatic environment in which the two countries have to try and address long-term problems in the region.

The decision to block the listing of Khorasani in the UN sanctions committee is particularly egregious because it suggests the US is willing to corrupt anti-terrorism measures to deny Pakistan its legitimate security goals. The JuA and its leader are a serious problem for Pakistan because the group has repeatedly demonstrated its capacity to launch high-profile and deadly attacks inside this country. When US President Donald Trump unveiled his so-called South Asia strategy last year, US officials insisted that a sustainable, cooperative relationship was being sought with Pakistan. That would mean addressing some of this country’s legitimate security concerns rather than heaping pressure on Pakistan to acquiesce to a US war strategy in Afghanistan that has been criticised by many US analysts outside the Trump administration. Khorasani of the JuA is a significant threat, and the UN sanctions committee should not be used to deny Pakistan a legitimate request. Pakistan and the US need to return to effective engagement immediately.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2018