ISLAMABAD: The killing of Pakistan’s Taliban leader, Mullah Fazlullah, in a US drone strike in Afghanistan’s Kunar province is a significant development which will help improve Pakistan-Afghan relations in addition to bridging the trust deficit among Islamabad, Kabul and Washington, say security analysts and former diplomats.
“The killing of Fazlullah in a US drone strike shows that Washington is serious about eliminating terrorists on Afghan soil who have been involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan,” Ikram Sehgal, prominent security analyst, told Arab News.
He said that terrorists involved in attacks in Afghanistan had been taking refuge on the Pakistani side and those targeting security forces and civilians in Pakistan had safe havens in Afghanistan.
“Fazlullah’s death is a message to all terrorists, both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, that they will not be tolerated anymore,” he said, adding that the security forces of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US should increase cooperation in order to eliminate the militants in the region.
Sehgal said the killing of Fazlullah came just hours after the visit of Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, to Kabul where he held meetings with high-ranking officials and promised Pakistan’s full cooperation for peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.
“Peace in Afghanistan means peace in Pakistan,” he said. “Nobody is more desirous of peace in Afghanistan than Pakistan.”
Salman Bashir, former foreign secretary, said the killing of Fazlullah in a US drone strike in Afghanistan would help lessen the trust deficit between Washington and Islamabad.
“The development shows the trio — Washington, Kabul and Islamabad — is on the same page for peace in Afghanistan and they are doing their best to win the trust of each other,” he told Arab News.
Bashir said the US had fulfilled an outstanding demand by Pakistan to kill Fazlullah and “it is now the turn of Islamabad to do its best to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table and help extend the recently announced ceasefire by the Afghan Taliban.”
The ex-foreign secretary said that Afghanistan and Pakistan had been cooperating with each other at the highest level in order to eliminate the militants on both sides of the border. “The backbone of terrorists involved in terror activities in Pakistan has been broken by the killing of Fazlullah,” he said.
Pakistan has often accused the US and Afghan forces of not doing enough to target TTP militants living on the Afghan side where they fled following a series of military operations by Pakistan.
In January, US President Donald Trump cut more than $1.1bn in military assistance to Pakistan over allegations that it was providing safe havens to members of the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network. Pakistan, however, denies the allegations.
Ayaz Wazir, former diplomat and security analyst, said the cooperation between US and Pakistani security forces was vital to achieve peace in the region and that it required long-term collaboration.
“The Afghan Taliban can be brought to the negotiating table and peace can be achieved in Afghanistan but only if Islamabad, Kabul and Washington speak with one voice,” he told Arab News.
