Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office announced a new national counterterrorism strategy, promising a combination of enhanced kinetic efforts, new legislation to strengthen terrorism prosecutions, and measures to counter violent extremism. Sharif clarified that the strategy, still in development, will prioritize intensifying existing intelligence-based operations over launching new military offensives.
Analysts link the timing of this decision to the current political moment. After a period of internal turmoil, some political and economic stability has returned to Pakistan, enabling the military to pursue this strategy, potentially regaining public support. Additionally, China’s influence may be a motivating factor, given its leverage over the Afghan Taliban and potential investments in Afghanistan.
The strategy also considers the growing threat of IS-K, which concerns both the US and Pakistan. Although they recently held a bilateral counterterrorism dialogue, US security aid to Pakistan has been largely suspended since 2018, and their primary concerns differ.
Moreover, India’s relations with Pakistan and China are tense due to recent terrorist attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir and diplomatic activities involving the Dalai Lama. Last week, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali announced Pakistan’s agreement in principle to join the International North-South Transport Corridor, an initiative stretching from Europe to Central Asia, the Middle East, and India. While India may not welcome this development, it continues to engage with Pakistan in various multilateral entities.
Comments
Post a Comment