WASHINGTON, Oct 10: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that the United States would be prepared to reconcile with the Taliban if the Afghan government pursued talks to end the war.

Another senior US official, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, said that the United States would like to help Pakistanis attain their goal of creating “a modern, moderate and Islamic Pakistan.”

Diplomatic observers in Washington noted that this ‘Islamic’ gesture can allow the United States to include moderate political leaders with religious leanings — such as Nawaz Sharif — in its future plans for Pakistan.

The two statements are a major departure from traditional US policies on Afghanistan and Pakistan and come amid reports that the US government is formulating a new strategy to deal with militancy in South Asia.

“Things have changed enough in Afghanistan and Pakistan to warrant a review of our overall strategy there,” Admiral Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told journalists on Thursday. “Part of the effort is to try to ensure better coordination on both sides of that border, which is a safe haven [for insurgents].”

The admiral said that the strategy review will address better ways to coordinate these efforts, while broadening the focus on Afghanistan to include Pakistan as well as India. He noted that both countries have long historic links to Afghanistan and an important role to play there.

“It is not just about boots on the ground,” the admiral said. “It is really three pieces. There is the security piece, the development … [and] economic piece as well as the political and diplomatic piece, and all of those things have to come together.”

Under the proposed strategy, the US also plans to train Afghanistan’s tribal militias to combat militants and reduce its reliance on the central government in Kabul. If adopted, the new strategy will expand the power and reach of Afghanistan’s tribal warlords.

Defence Secretary Gates’ statement, however, reflects America’s willingness to reconcile with the Taliban “as part of an exit strategy,” as the Los Angeles Times noted.

Mr Gates also made it clear that the US will not consider any negotiations with Al Qaeda.

Apparently, the proposed strategy seeks to isolate Al Qaeda by incorporating the so-called ‘reconcilable’ elements in the Taliban in a new administrative set-up in Kabul which can include some Taliban leaders as well.

Mr Gates told journalists in Budapest on Thursday that the proposed reconciliation would be the political move to end the conflict in Afghanistan, but it must happen on the Afghan government’s terms and the Taliban must commit to subject themselves to the sovereignty of the government.

“There has to be ultimately — and I’ll underscore ‘ultimately’ — reconciliation as part of a political outcome to this,” he said. “That’s ultimately the exit strategy for all of us.”

While not as explicit as Mr Gates’ reconciliatory gesture towards the Taliban, Assistant Secretary Boucher’s statement that the US wants to help create a “modern, moderate and Islamic” Pakistan is equally significant.

This is the first time since 9/11 that a senior US official has used the term ‘Islamic” while talking about Pakistan’s future goals. In the past, all references to Pakistan’s future — either by the US government or the Musharraf regime – only emphasised the “moderate and modern” characteristics of a future Pakistani state.

The two statements also reflect a realisation in Washington that Afghanistan can get as messy as Iraq, if not more, if it is not handled properly.