Susan Rice talks tough with Pakistan, threatens scrapping of military aid

In a tough message to Pakistan, the United States National Security Advisor (NSA) Susan Rice warned the political and military leaders that the recent attacks in Afghanistan by militants based in Pakistan threaten regional security in South Asia. She is on a two-day visit to the country. Ms Rice’s visit comes ahead of the meeting between US President Barack Obama and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to be held in October in Washington.

At a time when Pakistan’s relations with its neighbours are at an all-time low, the tough talk by NSA Susan Rice couldn’t have come at a worse time for Pakistan. Pakistan’s relations with its neighbours India and Afghanistan has been deteriorating in the recent past. The NSA level talks between Pakistan and India that was called off at the last moment is one such major instance in the recent past that has hurt Pakistan’s credibility in the international arena. In this context, Ms Rice also urged Pakistan to end rising tensions with India after the peace talks were cancelled a few days ago.

If Pakistan doesn’t take steps to tackle terror on its soil and US holds back its military aid, it could be another setback for the country. Militant attacks by Pakistan have been on the rise against its neighbours, especially Afghanistan. The Haqqani network, which is accused of fostering deadly terrorist attacks on Afghanistan, is widely suspected to be supported by Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.

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