New Delhi: A well-known American think tank - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - has virtually described Pakistan as a sponsor of international terrorism.
Frederic Grare, the author of a report released in Washington on Tuesday, blames the Pakistani military for terrorism in Kashmir, the resurgence of Taliban in Afghanistan and for the growth of jihadi ideology internationally.
Grare said, “Pakistan's military leaders have mobilised religious parties, militants, foreign freedom fighters and other players to get and keep national power and resources.”
“And the current policies of the West toward Islamabad only reinforces its political weakness and contributing to regional instability by allowing Pakistan to trade democratisation for its cooperation on terrorism, the report said.
Grare has asked the US to change tack and to punish Islamabad with sanctions if it fails to meet its commitments. But he remains skeptical of civilian rule returning to Pakistan.
"The military not only sets Pakistan's foreign policy, it also shapes domestic politics by nourishing a climate of insecurity and sectarian violence, allowing it to portray itself as the only bulwark against extremism," Grare wrote.
"Demilitarising Pakistan and setting it on the long path toward democracy are therefore prerequisites for the long-term stability of the region."
The report also said restoration of a stable civilian rule would lessen Pakistan's obsession with the threat posed by India and focus the country's energy on its own economic development.
(With agency inputs)
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