Taliban, Pakistan fear Biden may delay pullout of US troops

Amid the felicitations that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have received for winning the hotly-contested Presidential election, a few statements stand out for their expectations and agenda-setting.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement was the most curious. Khan tweeted: "Congratulations @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris. Look forward to President Elect Biden's Global Summit on Democracy & working with him to end illegal tax havens & stealth of nation's wealth by corrupt ldrs. We will also continue to work with US for peace in Afghanistan & in the region."

It is interesting that the Pakistani Prime Minister's statement was over-arching—not just about Pakistan but Afghanistan as well. It also shows that Pakistan is concerned about the line that the new regime in Washington might take regarding the Af-Pak region—currently under considerable turmoil owing to the US-Taliban peace accord and the steady withdrawal of US forces from the war-torn country.

<img class="wp-image-17459 size-full" src="https://indianarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Afghanistan-Pakistan-Border.jpg" alt="Afghanistan Pakistan Border firing" width="998" height="637" /> The Afghanistan Pakistan border is witnessing increasing clashes

Pakistan's close partner in Afghanistan, the Taliban, too is mirroring Imran Khan. The militant outfit reminded Biden that he "should respect the Doha Agreement because it was not made with a single person but with the American government." A spokesman said this Monday that the Taliban hopes the Biden administration will abide by the Doha Peace protocols and withdraw its forces from Afghan soil.

Taliban is concerned and there are reasons for that.

In October, Taliban leaders had even said that they hoped Donald Trump wins the elections and withdraws American forces from Afghanistan. The militant outfit had expressed its worry when Trump was detected with coronavirus.

In October, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taliban-on-trump-we-hope-he-will-win-the-election-withdraw-us-troops/"><strong>told <em>CBS News</em> over phone</strong></a>: "We believe that Trump is going to win the upcoming election because he has proved himself a politician who accomplished all the major promises he had made to American people… US people who experienced deceptions in the past will once again trust Trump for his decisive actions."

For many in South Asia, there are mixed signals whether the US, under Biden, will keep its forces in Afghanistan or will continue on Trump’s hasty pullout plan. Trump was keen, and had announced that US soldiers would be back home for Christmas, much to the annoyance of the Afghan government.

While the Taliban and Pakistan are worried whether Biden will stall the complete pullout of American forces from Afghanistan, the Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani certainly wants American military support to continue. Ghani too tweeted his felicitations to Biden, saying: “Congratulations to President-elect @JoeBiden & Vice President-elect @KamalaHarris. Afghanistan looks forward to continuing/deepening our multilayered strategic partnership w/ the United States—our foundational partner—including in counterterrorism & bringing peace to Afghanistan.”

Ghani and his party legislators are explicit that US troops remain on Afghan soil till trust between the various Afghan sides is established. Kabul has been unhappy with Trump for rushing into an agreement with the Taliban in February this year and forcing it to release nearly 5,000 Taliban militants for a peace accord that has not worked. Emboldened by US support, the militants have undermined the peace process and instead increased attacks against Afghan military and civilian targets, hitting out at hospitals, educational institutions, check posts and even common people.

The Af-Pak region has always formed an intricate matrix for the US administration to deal with as Pakistan has been the go-to country for its involvement in Afghanistan. However, Pakistan support to the US has been duplicitous as it has been supporting the US as well as its opponents—the militants that the US has been fighting against.

Afghan militant groups and Pakistan want a quick withdrawal, something they have been looking forward to as they feel close to forming a government in Afghanistan. Though Biden wants the US troops to be recalled, he is in favor of a gradual withdrawal. He also wants that terrorism in the region should not become a larger threat and, therefore, wants US forces to be stationed to curb terror activities.

At another level, Biden has strongly supported humanitarian aid for Pakistan and has not been as vocally and publicly critical towards the country as Trump has been. As the Vice-President for eight consecutive years under Barack Obama, Biden has dealt with all the three South Asian countries separately. It was during his term as the vice president that India had cemented the nuclear deal with the US under previous Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In this complex South Asian matrix, Biden cannot ignore the new entrant, China, which has extended itself into Pakistan through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and is threatening India on the border. With the China factor actively playing on global geopolitics, the US is likely to carry on with Trump's foreign policy towards restraining China and its expansionist ambitions. It is just that Biden might be more cautious and reserved in how to deal with the communist giant. For this purpose, <strong><a href="https://indianarrative.com/world/biden-may-follow-trumps-china-policy-minus-bluster-20213.html">Biden is most likely to retain a tilt</a> </strong>in favor of India. This is a view that former Pakistani ambassador to India Abdul Basit also holds. He told Pakistani newspaper, <em>The Express Tribune</em>: "He [Biden] has a tilt towards India. There will not be change in terms of US policy towards India.”

India too is watching carefully the line that Biden takes towards Af-Pak at this crucial point. For India it is vital that Pakistan does not divert the Afghan militants towards Kashmir in case the US withdraws its soldiers completely. India also wants the Biden administration to continue with Trump’s policy that was clear in halting China’s hegemony in the region, and indeed the world.

With major complexities in South Asian geopolitics—Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as India and China—all of which are now linked tangibly together in this densely packed region, along with militants of various hues, Biden and his officials will have to think deep before they take the next steps in a region that is increasingly becoming volatile.

https://indianarrative.com/world/sri-lanka-battles-continuous-narcotics-flow-from-pakistan-20385.html.