collapse of US-Taliban talks is an untimely setback for Pakistan, which had hoped its efforts to bring militants to table would be rewarded with an ecomic boost and American support in its dispute with India over Kashmir. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has promised to issue a rallying cry at UN General Assembly in New York next week over India's moves in disputed Himalayan region. However, Pakistan, long condemned for its support for militant groups, needs political capital if it is to sway a global community that has been historically reluctant to challenge New Delhi over Kashmir.

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Embarrassment for Pakistan

Helping United States with its fervent wish to leave Afghanistan after nearly 18 years of war was widely seen as an opportunity to get back into Washington's good books after years of being accused of duplicity. For a brief moment in July, it appeared to be working. President Donald Trump delighted Khan in Washington by declaring his willingness to mediate on Kashmir, over which India and Pakistan have fought two wars and countless skirmishes since end of British colonial rule in 1947. New Delhi repeated its position that Kashmir is a purely bilateral issue with Islamabad and dismissed possibility of foreign mediation, but still, Pakistan's star once again appeared on rise in Washington.

relief was short-lived. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked region's automy, igniting outr in Pakistan. Moreover, as Islamabad scrambled to win international support for its position on Kashmir, in a separate twist, Trump abruptly called off talks with Taliban, blowing up nearly a year of painstaking efforts to secure a deal that would have seen beginning of US troop withdrawal. Pakistan has for years called for a political solution in Afghanistan and had used its influence over Taliban to help facilitate talks with United States, hoping a successful outcome would help generate diplomatic capital especially for Kashmir.

"Until Pakistan gets Afghanistan settled, y are t going to find it easy to respond to India's action in Kashmir so y are certainly in a bit of a bind," Kashmir militancy expert Myra MacDonald told AFP.

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Khan told reporters last week that he will meet with US President on Monday to urge a resumption of talks with Taliban. Khan will take zero comfort from Trump's beaming participation in a massive "Howdy Modi" rally in Texas on Sunday, during which Indian leader offered a staunch and unchallenged defence of his move in Kashmir and took several, thinly-veiled swipes at Pakistan as a sponsor of terrorism. Trump told 50,000 crowd of mostly Indian-Americans that Modi was doing an "exceptional job". talks collapse comes at an especially delicate time in Pakistan, where frustrations are mounting just a year into Khan's rule with ecomy under immense stress, and officials are struggling to raise revenues while slashing spending under an International Monetary Fund bailout agreement.

y are also bracing for a decision next month by Financial Action Task Force, an anti-money-laundering monitor based in Paris that has threatened to blacklist Pakistan for failing to combat terror financing. "Pakistan remains in dire financial straits and could really use some goodwill from US and its allies," Graeme Smith, a consultant with International Crisis Group, told AFP. end of Taliban talks and sudden uncertainty about how Islamabad is viewed by mercurial Trump administration, suggest American help in easing Pakistan's financial pain may be difficult to come by.

"Pakistan has invested a lot in se talks," said analyst Zahid Hussain. "This abrupt ending is a setback," he added.

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Pressure mounts on Islamabad

Khan w faces unsavoury task of wearing increased pressure from a White House more interested in Afghanistan than Kashmir. Kabul and Washington have long accused Pakistan of sheltering and supporting Taliban, an allegation it denies. Security expert Rahimullah Yusufzai said that with talks off, Washington is likely to increase pressure on Islamabad once again to clamp down on Taliban. militant group has vowed more violence but left door open for talks, while US has insisted y meet certain conditions first.

"It will be a 'do more' sort of situation" for Pakistan, Yusufzai explained. But Pakistani military expert Ayesha Siddiqa argued that Islamabad still has a card to play. "y have considerable influence to talk to Taliban if t to make m act totally according to Islamabad's wishes," she said. "y can try to convince m."

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