November 12, 2021
2 mins read

Pak senator warns of cold war if India become ‘Sixth Eye’

Pak official warned that if India ultimately joined the Five Eyes group, Pakistan would place new limits on what it shares with the US…reports Sanjeev Sharma

Adding India to the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing club would hurt US-Pakistan relations as Islamabad tries to coordinate a regional response to a growing Afghanistan terror threat, Defense One reported citing a senior Pakistani official as saying.

“It’s a recipe for a new Cold War, a recipe for a new divide, and if you are going to have that, the lines will be drawn,” Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who leads the Senate Defence Committee, told reporters at a private event, the report said.

Sayed was responding to a question about proposed legislation in the US Senate that would order the Pentagon to look at adding India and several other Asia-Pacific countries to the decades-old intel-sharing agreement between Australia, the UK Canada, New Zealand, and the US.

He stopped short of saying that if India ultimately joined the Five Eyes group, Pakistan would place new limits on what it shares with the US. But he said the move would hurt US-Pakistan ties, which could affect coordination on Afghanistan policy, the report said.

five eyes Pic credits Wikipedia

The US has asked Pakistan not to recognize the Taliban, Sayed said, and so Pakistan is taking its time and looking for a regional consensus on the issue of legitimising the new government in Kabul, bringing in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Iran, and possibly others.

“Also, we are waiting to see what the (US) does,” he said, the report added.

ALSO READ: Xi warns of return of Cold War-era tensions

Sayed said US officials should view the Taliban of today as different from the one that American forces overthrew two decades ago.

“I feel they are chastened, more pragmatic. They know this is not the Afghanistan of the 1990s. They do not have a pan-Islamic perspective,” he said.

Soon after the Taliban takeover, Sayed said, Pakistan began trying to coordinate a regional response to IS-K and other terror groups. On September 9, he said, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency hosted “an unprecedented meeting” of the intelligence chiefs of neighbouring countries plus Russia.

“We all agreed on a common counter-terror strategy in concert with the new administration in Kabul. So it’s a work in progress, but the (US) should be on board,” he said, the report said.

He said IS-K militants threaten to cross the border into Pakistan, mount terror attacks, and retreat to Afghanistan.

“That’s our main concern. It’s a nightmare for us,” he said.

ALSO READ: Pakistan staring at gas crisis as ‘winter is coming’

Previous Story

Nykaa founder Falguni India’s self made billionaire

Next Story

Indian Students Target UK, US & Canada

Latest from -Top News

India Marks Ayurveda Day in Ghana

The conference brought together academicians, officials from the Ghana Ministry of Health, Ayurveda doctors, herbalists, and other key stakeholders…reports Asian Lite news To mark the 10th Ayurveda Day, the Indian High Commission

US Urges India to Rethink Russian Oil Imports

Wright emphasised the priority of ending the conflict while strengthening US-India ties…reports Asian Lite News United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged India to reassess its oil imports from Russia, stressing that

Trump, Shehbaz Set for Oval Office Talks

Sharif will arrive in Washington after attending the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York….reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump will hold high-stakes bilateral meetings on Thursday, including a

Farooq Abdullah Urges Dialogue After Ladakh Unrest

Dr Farooq Abdullah warned the Central government that neglecting their long-standing demands could deepen unrest in the sensitive Himalayan region….reports Asian Lite News Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UK govt to restart trade talks with India, others

Britain already has FTAs with those four countries which were

Pak authority stops Labaik TV channel’s broadcast

The licences issued to Labbaik Private Limited were cancelled by