Ahead of the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, a key architect of the Bush era's Af-Pak policy has urged US President Barack Obama to get tough on Pakistan alleging that Islamabad's role in the war against terrorism has been a "troublingly" negative one.
"The Obama Administration should be forcing Pakistan to make some choices - between supporting the United States or supporting extremists," former US Ambassador to Afghanistan
and Iraq and America's Permanent Representative to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad said.
"The United States should demand that Pakistan shut down all sanctuaries and military support programs for insurgents or else we will carry out operations against those insurgent havens, with or without Pakistani consent," he said.
"Arguments that such pressure would cause Pakistan to disintegrate are overstated. Pakistan's institutions, particularly the country's security organs, are sufficiently
strong to preclude such an outcome," the Afghanistan-born American diplomat wrote in an op-ed to The New York Times.
Khalilzad said without inducing a change in Pakistan's posture, the US will have to choose between fighting a longer and bloodier war in Afghanistan than is necessary, at the cost
of many young American lives and many billions of dollars, or accepting a major setback in Afghanistan and in the surrounding region.
"Both are undesirable options," he observed.
The US should facilitate a major diplomatic effort focused on stabilizing South Asia. "This must involve efforts to improve relations between India and Pakistan. Based on my recent discussions with Pakistani officials, including
President Asif Ali Zardari, I believe the civilian leadership would welcome such a move," he said.
The US has tried to soften Pakistan's support of militants through enhanced engagement as well as humanitarian, economic and military assistance, he said.
Indeed, Congress last year approved a five-year, USD 7.5 billion package of non-military aid and among the options being discussed by American and Pakistani officials this week is a security pact that would mean billions of dollars more, Khalilzad added.
"But such efforts have led to only the most
incremental shifts in Pakistan's policy," he said. "To induce quicker and more significant changes, Washington must offer Islamabad a stark choice between positive incentives and negative consequences."
While acknowledging Pakistan's positive contribution in the war against terrorism, Khalilzad said: "At the same time, Pakistan gives not only sanctuary but also support to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani terrorist network. This has hampered our military efforts; contributed to American, coalition and Afghan deaths; and helped sour relations between Kabul and Washington."