Washington: After months of mounting frustration with Islamabad over its unwillingness to crack down on Afghan Taliban leaders finding sanctuary on its soil, Pakistan finally appears to be coming through with cooperation that could help turn the tide in the war in Afghanistan, a noted US scholar has said.
"But given Pakistan`s long track record of support to militant groups fighting in Afghanistan and India, it is too early to determine whether the most recent arrests signal a permanent reversal of its past policies, or merely a tactical shift to demonstrate its leverage in the region," said Lisa Curtis from the Heritage Foundation.
She said it was unclear why Pakistan was stepping up to the plate now on cracking down on the Afghan Taliban, most observers believe Islamabad may be seeking to ensure it has a role in determining any potential settlement of the conflict.
"Others say it is partly a response to building US pressure. President Obama appealed directly to the Pakistanis to crack down on the Afghan Taliban through a letter hand-delivered by National Security Adviser General Jones to Pakistani President Zardari last fall," Curtis said.
The letter coincided with revelations from the arrest of David C Headley, a Pakistani-American who worked with the Lashkar-e-Toiba in Pakistan to scout sites for the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, Curtis added.
Headley was arrested by the US authorities in October last year and a former Pakistani Army major was named in the US affidavit as serving as Headley`s handler for Mumbai terror attacks.
Since then, the US had repeatedly made case to Pakistan that facilitating some terrorist groups while fighting others was counterproductive.
"It was possible this message was finally beginning to sink in," Curtis said.
Following last week`s revelation that the number two Taliban leader, Mullah Baradar, was captured in Pakistan earlier this month fresh reports indicate that at least three other senior Taliban leaders have also recently been arrested in Pakistan.
These include Mullah Abdul Kabir, a deputy prime minister in the former Taliban regime and a member of the Quetta Shura (Taliban leadership Council) as well as two "shadow governors" of provinces in Afghanistan.
Afghan Interior Minister Hanif Atmar has said he hoped these arrests represent the beginning of a "large-scale" Pakistani operation against the Taliban.
PTI
