Nawaz Sharif, the Army and the Taliban

In a new piece published on OpenDemocracy Mona Kanwal Sheikh argues why a new course for Pakistan, where long-term economic policies are prioritized over short-term military operations will clash with US interests when it comes to the endgame in Afghanistan.

“The recent Pakistani general elections have been congratulated for high voter turnout and a historic civilian transfer of power without military interference. But western leaders involved in war in neighbouring Afghanistan are still holding their breath. Their main concerns seem to be how the coming prime minister and civil government will deal with or demote those policies of Pakistan’s army that are known to be autonomous vis-à-vis those of the civil government. And how the new government will deal with the Pakistani and the Afghan Taliban. A ‘softer’ approach will potentially affect the endgame in Afghanistan and who comes out as the winner and loser.”

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