Mutual trust between the United States and Pakistan, embroiled in the Afghanistan issue, has further eroded since the Taliban's takeover of Kabul, but the two still need each other.
According to the Associated Press, Pakistan's relations with the Taliban leadership have caused concern among US intelligence agencies.
However, the Biden administration is looking for ways to counter the threat to US security from Afghanistan and will probably need Pakistan again.During the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan, US officials have accused Pakistan of playing a "double game". On the one hand, he promises to fight terrorism and cooperate with Washington, and on the other, he raises the Taliban and similar groups that attack US forces in Afghanistan.
Islamabad cites the failure of the United States and its allies to establish a Pakistan-friendly government in Kabul after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, when terrorist groups fighting against Pakistan sought refuge in eastern Afghanistan and Attacks began all over Pakistan.
But the United States needs Pakistan's cooperation in counter-terrorism, and it may need to operate covert flights from Pakistan's airspace to Afghanistan, or some other intelligence-led assistance.
In return, Pakistan wants US military and civilian aid and good relations with Washington.
Raja Krishna Murthy, a member of the US House Intelligence Committee, said: "For the past 20 years, Pakistan has been important to the US military in delivering goods. The problem is mistrust. The question is, can we move on from the past? '
Addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan said that despite being a US ally in Afghanistan, Pakistan was blamed instead of "a few words of encouragement".
Former Pakistani and US diplomats and intelligence officials say it is difficult to co-operate with what has happened over the past two decades and Pakistan's constant rivalry with India.The former Afghan government, backed by India, has repeatedly accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban. US officials claim that there are officials in the Taliban government who have links with Pakistan's ISI.
Former Pakistani diplomat Hussain Haqqani says Pakistan has been waiting for this opportunity for the last 20 years. Now they think they have a satellite state.
U.S. officials are increasingly taking steps to reduce the threat of terrorism. Without a partner country, the United States will have to fly secret drones from a great distance, which will affect their timely access to targets.
With the withdrawal, the United States has lost its intelligence network in Afghanistan and will now have to enlist the help of other countries that have more resources there.
Pakistan could help the United States obtain permission to fly from the Persian Gulf for US undercover drones or to deploy teams along the Afghan border to fight terrorism. However, no such agreement has been reached yet.
According to a statement issued by the Pakistani government, US CIA Director William Burns met with Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed in Islamabad this month.
Faiz Hameed and William Burns visited Kabul separately to meet with the Taliban leadership. The CIA declined to comment on the visits.Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said last week that before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Islamabad had facilitated peace talks with the Taliban and agreed to US military requests during the war.
"We are often criticized for not doing more, but we are not praised for what we have done."
Shah Mehmood Qureshi did not respond directly to the AP about having drone flights and other secret equipment, but said "there is no need to be there for intelligence sharing, there are other smart ways to do it."
The ISI and CIA remained in Afghanistan for a long time, where they formed the Mujahideen against the former Soviet Union. The CIA sent arms and money to Afghanistan via Pakistan.
Among those fighters was Osama bin Laden. Some of them became Taliban leaders and formed a government in Afghanistan in 1996. The Taliban sheltered Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders who attacked US forces abroad and then the 9/11 attacks.
After 9/11, the United States needed Pakistan's cooperation in its operation against al-Qaeda. The CIA carried out hundreds of drone strikes on al-Qaeda from Pakistan, killing hundreds of civilians and sparking mass protests.
Douglas London, author of the forthcoming book The Recruiter, says "American intelligence will need Pakistan's limited partnership against a common enemy such as al-Qaeda and ISIS in Khurasan."
