Pakistan holding trump card on NATO supply halt
Islamabad–Though initially the United States was not showing any anxiety on Pakistan’s action to halt all supplies to US-led forces in Afghanistan through Pakistani soil, at least the statements emanated from Washington reflected so, but, after three weeks, the reports reaching from Afghanistan suggested that Pakistani action has inflicted a telling blow on them.
A panic-like situation is witnessed in the military camps and garrisons across the Durand line as level of mobility and actions of the forces fighting with Taliban have come down. The winter has become very harsh for the NATO forces after cutting off fuel supply through tankers from Pakistan, standing in long queues at Pakistani ports, different areas on Pak-Afghan borders and roadsides resting places along the highways in Pakistan waiting green signal from the government.
More than four thousand tankers engaged in supplies have been halted while the loading and carrying containers with food and other essentials have also been stopped, cutting off life line of the forces, at least in this harsh winter when the northern supply routes through Central Asian Republics and Russian Federation have also frozen this year.
Pakistan is holding a crucial trump card at least for three months when this inhospitable winter will keep its wings on the northern supply routes for the forces in Afghanistan. The US can manage its light supplies through northern routes by air, but its heavy supplies, possible only through sea and land routes can not be carried out in this harsh winter without route from Pakistani. Even, a long supply route through Russian Federation and central Asian Republics, after the winter is over will cost the super power 100 times more than the route through Pakistan, which is the shortest one.
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