US Secretary of Defense-designate General Lloyd J. Austin has said that the Biden administration sees Pakistan as a "necessary partner" in the Afghan peace process and works to prevent "regional elements" from undermining the peace process.
On the other hand, Tony Blanken, who will be the US diplomatic chief in the new administration, wants to review the peace agreement between the US and the Taliban, but makes it clear that the peace process initiated by the Trump administration will continue.
General Lloyd J. Austin is the former head of the US Central Command and, if approved by the US Senate, will be the new Secretary of Defense, while Tony Blanken, a former State Department official, will be the new Secretary of State.
Responding to a question from the US Senate Armed Services Committee, General Lloyd Austin said that "Pakistan is an essential partner for any peace process in Afghanistan."
"I would encourage a regional approach that seeks the support of neighboring countries, such as Pakistan, to deter regional elements working to undermine the Afghan peace process," he added.
General Lloyd Austin was asked what changes he would suggest as Secretary of Defense to the United States in its relations with Pakistan. This includes training of Pakistan's future military leaders.
"Pakistan will play a key role in any settlement in Afghanistan. We need to work with Pakistan to defeat al-Qaeda and ISIS in Khurasan and promote regional stability,"
The nominee for Secretary of Defense was asked if he had noticed any change in Pakistan's cooperation with the United States since the Trump administration withheld security assistance to Pakistan in September 2018.
To which General Lloyd Austin replied, "I think Pakistan has taken constructive steps to comply with US requests in support of the Afghan peace process."
He added that Pakistan had also taken steps against anti-India groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad, although their progress was still incomplete.
General Lloyd Austin acknowledged that "in addition to the suspension of security assistance, a number of factors may have affected Pakistan's co-operation, including the Afghanistan talks and the dangerous tensions following the Pulwama attack."
The US general was asked what tactics and options he would use to influence Pakistan, to which he replied that "Pakistan is an independent country".
"I will put pressure on Pakistan to stop using its territory as a haven for militants and violent extremist organizations, and to maintain relations with the Pakistani military on key US and Pakistani issues," he said. Ways will be opened to cooperate.
Tony Blanken, on the other hand, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and said he would review the US-Afghan Taliban peace deal because, like the Trump administration negotiating the deal, the new US administration in Afghanistan does not seem to have. She wants an end to the war.
"We want to end this so-called long war and bring our forces back. We want to maintain some capacity to deal with any resurgence of terrorism that has brought us here,"
"We have to look carefully at what was actually negotiated, I don't know yet," he added.
The two nominees also pledged to consider the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, which were severely restricted during the Taliban regime.
