By Malik Siraj Akbar
If Pakistan is to achieve stability, the U.S. very much needs to consider an exit.
There are few countries in the world whose weaknesses have translated into their strengths. Perpetually unstable, Pakistan, the world’s only nuclear-armed Muslim state, is one. Widespread concerns about the safety of Pakistan’s nukes make it extremely hard for the United States to easily ignore or abandon the country. Washington may pillory military rule elsewhere in the world but dictatorships in Pakistan have historically expedited the formation of strategic alliances with the U.S.
While Pakistan’s military rulers instantly gained legitimacy by partnering with the U.S., the latter found it convenient to attain its goals without necessarily going through parliamentary red tape.
Pakistan’s deep-rooted connections with Islamic terrorist groups are no longer a secret. Surprisingly, the U.S. did not punish Pakistan for providing safe sanctuary to Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11. Some experts believe Pakistan continues to harbor three of the world’s most wanted terrorists namely Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s successor, Mullah Muhammad Omar, head of the Afghan Taliban and Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, chief of the anti-India terrorist group, the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Read the full story at The Diplomat