Pak would rather lose aid rather than turn in the Haqqani, Taliban: US expert

With US President Donald Trump coming down hard on Pakistan, the nation is left to chose between the devil and the deep sea. The suspension of aid to Pakistan has been reported widely and it is to be seen how much of an impact it would have on the country.

The fact is that since 2011, Pakistan has been receiving a lot less assistance when compared to the years prior to 2010. Many experts say that Pakistan would muddle through as it has been planning all along for the day when the US assistance ends.

The US decided to suspend US dollar 1.1 billion security assistance to Pakistan while demanding action against the Haqqani Network and Taliban. The US said that it had not only lies and deceit and also lost a lot of its men in Afghanistan due to a double game that Pakistan played.

Stephen Tankel, assistant professor at the School of International Service at American University tells OneIndia that Trump's move may not exactly serve the purpose.

"What Pakistan stands to lose, in terms of security assistance, pales in comparison, to what the [Pakistani] security establishment thinks it would lose by turning on the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, which it perceives as instrumental to accomplishing its objectives in Afghanistan. So no, this will not be enough to convince Pakistan to turn on them. It's been planning for the day when US assistance ends, and I suspect it will muddle through," Tankel says.

Tankel also told ThinkProgress that the US stands to lose a lot from cutting or withholding military aid. It helps maintain that military-to-military relationship, which is important for access for supply lines from Pakistan into Afghanistan, access to Pakistan's airspace and also for drone strikes in Pakistan, which have taken place with Pakistan's tacit consent, and for other forms of tactical cooperation, he said.

OneIndia News