On Tuesday, in a speech at the American Institute of Peace, Mr. Thomas West, the United States Government Special Representative for Afghanistan stated that the US had no option but to work with Pakistan.
“I think we don’t have a choice but to work with Pakistan on the way ahead.”
The former National Security Council Adviser stated the US was in close touch with the leadership of Pakistan. He said that the US had conveyed Pakistan to take steps that could strengthen the likelihood of a negotiated settlement to the Afghan conflict.
Mr. West articulated during his speech that had Pakistan taken some of those steps in a more meaningful and consistent way, the US would be in a different place today.
He acknowledged that Pakistan faced challenges following the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan and the arrival of Taliban-led government.
“I frankly think that that energy (criticising Pakistan) is not called for given the situation in Afghanistan today. I think when it comes to Pakistan’s interests in Afghanistan today, they face challenges. They face real challenges of capacity,” he said.
Talking about the US goals for Afghanistan, he said that they [goals] were the same as they were 10 years ago. He added that the United States wanted a peace-loving state in Afghanistan that would never be a haven for terrorists.