Pakistani adviser: US fails to achieve objectives in Afghanistan

Pakistan's top security adviser said Wednesday that the United States has not achieved its stated objectives of peace, defeating terrorism, promoting development and creating democratic stability in Afghanistan. "The United States did not achieve its objectives but created problems for Pakistan," Sartaj Aziz, advisor on national security and foreign affairs, told reporters at a book launching ceremony in Islamabad. He said that the United States was fighting a wrong war, with wrong methods and with wrong people. "The United States was now fighting those which were trained, armed and funded by it during Russian invasion of Afghanistan," Aziz, who has previously served as Pakistan foreign and finance minister, said. The advisor said use of American drone attacks in the Pakistani tribal societies reflected total ignorance of their values and traditions and therefore have not yielded intended results and instead proved counterproductive. Aziz said Pakistan has forcefully raised the drone issue not only with the United States but also at different forums and its policy is bearing good results. "The international community is now supportive of the Pakistani position and the government would raise the issue more emphatically in the weeks to come." The United States always claimed that the drone attacks are aimed at high value targets, and now that these have largely been taken care of it is time that drone strikes should come to an end, he said. He went on to say the war on terror has disturbed the traditional system in the Pakistani tribal region and affected the balance that had been there between the Pakistani government and Tribal Areas due to erosion of tribal structure. The adviser said the government would take a combination of measures to improve situation in Tribal Areas. These include border control to prevent illegal movement, establishment of the writ of the state, reconstruction and rehabilitation and re- establishment of the tribal system by way of administrative, legal and economic measures. He also noted contacts with Pakistani Taliban for the sake of dialogue are still being established but he would not predict the outcome of the efforts.