The United States and Pakistan currently have a relatively high point of military relationship despite ups and downs, a noted American defence expert said while also strongly defending US security assistance for Islamabad's conventional balance with India.
"Today, the relationship is a relatively high point," defence analyst David Smith said, citing close co-operation between the two countries in the post-9/11 period at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank.
Smith, who is associated with Pentagon as a senior director on Pakistan (policy), was expressing his personal views during a discussion on Tuesday on US-Pakistan military relations in the context of counter terrorism challenges. Pakistani expert Shuja Nawaz and former State Department adviser Lisa Curtis also participated.
"Pakistan is an indispensable ally in the war on terror, our desire for long-term relationship is not confined to military aspect alone, we are working very hard to find ways to increase our economic and social development programs in Pakistan and find ways to demonstrate to the people of Pakistan the value of the strategic relationship."
In the context of rocky nature of the past relationship between the two countries, he acknowledged the importance of overcoming trust deficit and the need for the United States to demonstrate to Pakistan that "we are in Afghanistan to finish the job and are a reliable security partner now and in future."
At the same time, he observed that any agreements with tribal leaders on the Pakistani side of the Afghan border need to be enforceable to stop militants from having any sanctuary and conducting any attacks into Afghanistan and Pakistan itself.
The US, he said, "cannot allow al Qaeda to regroup and plan attacks." Commenting on Pakistan's security concerns in respect of US strategic ties with India he said, the US realises that India and Pakistan have had a very troubled past, had three wars and a major mobilisation of forces of both armies in 2002.
"Pakistan is concerned about the direction of US strategic relationship with India, is concerned about things like civilian nuclear deal, India's presence in Afghanistan and fears that the future arms sales by the United States to India may alter the conventional military balance in the sub-continent in India's favour."
He said the US has to convince both sides that its relationship with them is not a series of zero-sum games, that we share the same goals, certainly countering terrorism and we want sustainable long-term relationship with both countries."
Defending the US military assistance for Pakistan vis-à-vis conventional military balance between Pakistan and India, he said the US has committed itself to meeting Pakistan's legitimate security needs.
Any assessment of the conventional military balance between the two countries shows that in almost every category India is expanding, he noted in response to a question. "Now the list of equipment we are in the process of providing to Pakistan is very modest by the scales of present plans for modernisation of the Indian armed forces.
"So I don't see there is a significant shift in the conventional military balance by any of the systems that I listed," he stated, referring to New Delhi's massive defence purchases and modernisation plans and the US provision of F-16 jets, maritime surveillance aircraft and other equipment.
Shuja Nawaz, a Pakistani expert and author of the book "Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army and the Wars Within, underlined the need for meeting insurgency challenges in the border region through a multifaceted strategy instead of a uni-dimensional emphasis on military component. He pointed out the need for addressing governance problems on the Afghan side including nexus between drugs and violence.
Nawaz said the US can play an important role in removing frictions between Pakistan and India, who are engaged in a peace process to resolve outstanding issues including the thorny Kashmir dispute. Washington, he stated, could help ease border strains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It may be a good idea for the US to recognise this is an issue, he said in reference to the oft-voiced need for prodding Kabul on formal acceptance of Durand Line as the border.
Lisa Curtis, senior fellow for South Asian Studies at the Heritage Foundation, favoured deployment of more troops on the Afghan side of the border and said both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates recognise the need for more deployments in the insurgency-hit country.