Peace Trumps Dollars In Pakistan

Over the past few years, Pakistan has depended heavily on financial assistance provided by the US
However, the U.S. Congress recently ratified a new bill reducing the amount of financial assistance to Islamabad. According to the bill, hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance to Pakistan will be suspended because the country has decreased support for the US campaign against AQ and the Taliban.
The U.S. has laid down one major condition for the restoration of the financial assistance, demanding that the Pakistani army launch military operations against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militants and terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Haqqani network in the North Waziristan region.
However, the Pakistani army is opposed to the demand since it would engulf the country in a civil war.
Moreover, North Waziristan, which is located in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, is not the only place where the TTP operates. The group has allies in some cities and towns, which allows them to carry out terrorist operations against civilians.
The army’s unwillingness to get involved in such a wrong–headed adventure means that the Pakistani government should forget about the U.S. dollars. Islamabad will now have to look for new sources of financial assistance because without foreign support, the country will have great difficulty handling its economic situation.
China and Iran are viewed as the main candidates to replace the U.S. as providers of financial assistance.
If this happened, Islamabad would be aligning itself with Eastern countries, which would reduce U.S. interference in the region.
U.S.-Pakistan relations are probably not going to return to the previous situation in the foreseeable future. The two sides are making accusations against each other, and this will certainly have serious repercussions for the entire region.
Pakistan’s decision to attempt to maintain peace and stability indicates that the era when the U.S. had a free hand to interfere in the country has drawn to a close.
Islamabad has finally decided to stop playing the role of Washington’s proxy in the region.
Pir-Mohammad Mollazehi is an expert on Pakistan and Afghanistan based in Tehran.