The withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan is not desirable, said PakistanÂ’s new ambassador to Washington as the United States prepares to begin the pullout.
| Then the Taliban would have no western targets and would instead come after Pak politicians. That'll never do... |
“Even the talk of US pullout has started having its impact. Pakistan has started to receive more Afghan refugees than before,” said Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani. “This shows that the people of Afghanistan too have fears.”
Jilani has served as foreign secretary and is the first career diplomat to be named to the prestigious post after political appointments for 13 years.
The US plans to withdraw most of its combat troops from Afghanistan by December 2014. Although it intends to leave behind a smaller force to help the Afghan government, KabulÂ’s continued refusal to sign a required security agreement can jeopardise this plan too.
Jilani said his first priority would be to strengthen trade and economic ties with the worldÂ’s economic superpower.
“Defence and security ties obviously are equally important but cooperation in the energy sector would be the main task that one has to carry forward,” he said.
| "And stop the damned drones from whacking our allies," he added softly... |
Asking India to take advantage of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s “genuine interest” in improving ties, Jilani said New Delhi will “lose a big opportunity if they do not.”
Pakistan claims India is using Afghan territory for fomenting unrest in Balochistan, a charge denied by New Delhi. |