It is heartening to note that National Assembly has passed a resolution condemning US President Donald Trump's accusations that Islamabad was prolonging the war in Afghanistan. Speaking before the assembly, Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif reportedly urged the government to consider postponing any visits by US delegations to Pakistan or by Pakistani officials to the United States and closing off "ground and air lines of communication through Pakistan". How ironic it is that the US is now showing utter lack of respect for the Pakistani sacrifices in the war against militancy and its successes against groups like al Qaeda, Islamic State or the Pakistani Taliban. Washington has lost sight of as many as 70,000 Pakistani casualties in terrorist attacks since it joined the US war on terror after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The US must be aware of the fact that any effort to isolate or alienate Pakistan would trigger a chain of unsavoury actions, including withdrawal of essential facilities such as air corridors. Can the US maintain supplies to its troops in Afghanistan without the cooperation of Pakistan?
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