Patience with Pakistan appears to be fraying in Washington and Kabul, particularly over Islamabad’s response to alleged cross-border infiltration by militants ensconced in its tribal areas.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, expressed concern on a July 12 visit to Islamabad over what he termed Pakistan’s lack of pressure on insurgents flowing into Afghanistan. …

NATO’s commander in Afghanistan has attributed the surging violence to “sanctuary areas” in Pakistan’s tribal lands. Afghan President Hamid Karzai even threatened to send troops into Pakistan to hunt for Taliban leaders, although most experts doubt the threat will amount to much. …

Some experts on the region caution against placing too much emphasis on a military solution to militancy in the tribal areas. A new “Council Special Report” by CFR Senior fellow Daniel Markey says the potential repercussions of a unilateral U.S. approach mean that “patience and engagement remain far better tools with which to address the tribal areas.”

This story continues below
Advertisement

Markey recommends a more integrated and long-term approach than that employed by Washington so far, involving political and judicial reform, expanding economic opportunity, and building the counterterrorism capacity of Pakistan’s security forces.

Read more at cfr.org