Jalil Afridi
Washington DC: Once again Pakistan was discussed both in the American Defence Department and the State Department after a news story appeared in a local English daily in Pakistan. According to the story published in Pakistan, the US Government was planning to decertify Pakistan after its failure to tackle the Haqqani network with the zeal and fervor to which it had committed. Spokesman of the US State Department, John Kirby was more diplomatic and soft tone while answering a query by an Indian journalist saying that \”nothing�s changed about our strong commitment to supporting Pakistan�s effort to eliminate terrorist threats in the border area and throughout Pakistan.\”
When a journalist asked John Kerby that \”today there was a question before Secretary of Defense Ash Carter that according to a news report, Dawn in Pakistan has reported that this military aid will be cut off and there�s a planning in Washington � it�s because of Pakistan is not doing enough on Haqqani Network\”, spokesman of the US State Department replied by saying \”yeah\”.
Unlike the past when Pakistan use to say that there are the good and the bad Taliban, this time around Pakistan policy towards the Taliban has changed and now Taliban are bad in total and it does not differentiate them anymore. It is in this back ground that Pakistan has adopted the National Action Plan, twenty first amendment bill has been passed and military courts have been established to gain the confidence of international community and its own people that the country can no longer afford any sort of terrorist group using the Pakistani soil.  
State Department Spokesman said that \”Pakistan has made it clear that it does not differentiate between militants. And this is a commitment from their prime minister, and that they will not allow Pakistani soil to be used as a safe haven for militants to attack other countries.\” All efforts are being made by both India and Afghanistan to make the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to America futile and focused on how little Pakistan has done towards the elimination of terrorists groups based inside Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention here that last week, a large number of Afghans protested outside the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC. The protestors were holding placards and chanting against Pakistan for its alleged involvement in the recent attacks in Afghanistan. Just like the usual ritual the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington remained mum over this protest and did not lodge any concern to any authority.