Drone strike widens Pak-US trust deficit

The death of Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone attack on May21 has not only complicated the Afghan peace process but widened the trust deficit between Pakistan and the United States, officials said. Background discussions with diplomats and government officials revealed that in the recent meeting of the four-nation Quadrilateral Co-ordination Group (QCG) comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, the US and China, it was agreed to give "peace a chance" instead of using force.
The death of Mullah Mansour in Balochistan has not only "undermined" the peace process but added to the mistrust between Pakistan and the US, the officials said, adding the QCG members in its fifth meeting on April 18, had agreed that "politically negotiated settlement was the most viable option and efforts should continue to bring Taliban on the table".
Pakistan conveyed serious concerns to the US by summoning its Ambassador David Hale to the Foreign Office to protest against a "breach of the United Nations Charter that guarantees the inviolability of the territorial integrity of its member states."
The drone strike that killed Mullah Mansour was the second strike in Pakistan's settled areas where, sources indicate there is no prior understanding between US and Pakistani officials to launch drone strikes. The first was in November 2013 in Thall, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when a US drone targeted a seminary killing six people, including a suspected member of the Haqqani network.
Following the death of Mullah Mansour, the new Taliban chief Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada reportedly vowed to continue insurgency and rejected peace talks with the Afghan government. Sources, however, told this correspondent that the QCG members are in contact with each other and a meeting of the group is expected in the coming few days to discuss the post-Mullah Mansour situation.
"All the members of the QCG have their own contacts with various Taliban groups and under the principle of shared responsibility, efforts would be made to save the peace process from further damage", said a diplomat who requested anonymity. He added that it was necessary for Afghanistan, the key stakeholder in the peace process, to come with a clear cut policy as to whether it wants continuation of the peace process or not.
The sources further maintained Pakistan has also conveyed its concerns to Afghanistan over the recent drone attack which was launched from Afghan side to target the Taliban chief in Balochistan. The concerns were conveyed by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in a meeting with Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Hazrat Omer Zakhilwal on Monday at the Foreign Office. The two sides, however, agreed to continue joint efforts for the restoration of peace in Afghanistan, the sources added.