The exchange of strong words between the two countries and then a failed visit to Islamabad by the US Secretary of State has turned the US-Pakistan relationship sour than ever. And that’s not good news for global diplomacy.
Relations between the United States of America and Pakistan have not been on a high lately. For quite sometime now, Washington has been fuming over Pakistan for providing safe haven and aiding extremist groups like the Haqqani militant network and the Afghan Taliban. However, the latest visit of US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to Pakistan gives the impression that America now wants to mend its faltering relations with a vital and mercurial ally in the fight against militants, who are still wreaking havoc in Afghanistan, where the US has begun a drawdown of its forces.
The trouble is that the US also wants to pursue its strong stand against Pakistan on the issue of aiding militants. At least, it seemed so when Clinton, who stopped in Kabul on her way to Islamabad, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai by her side, warned that Pakistan could not let the current situation continue without paying a “big price”. She made it clear that the US will target all terrorists in their safe havens, including those taking refuge in Pakistan. And Pakistan must decide whether it wants to help or hinder the war on terror.
For that matter Clinton continued in the same vein in her joint press conference with Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani. There she bluntly said that for too long terrorists have been able to operate from Pakistan’s soil and that “you (Pakistan) cannot keep snakes in your backyard which bite your neighbours”. While she could not have been more forthright publicly, Clinton was reportedly even more sharp in the closed door meetings with her Pakistani interlocutors. Her visit, say experts, was meant to douse the fire that had been ignited after harsh comments from both sides. But her words and actions indicated the US was in no mood to humour Pakistan.
Earlier, some strong words from the US Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and the reaction of Pakistan Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, especially with respect to the US issuing directives to Pakistan on handling the Haqqani network, had created an uncomfortable strain in the ties between the two countries. Washington’s accusation of how the ISI patronises and funds the Haqqani network, legitimises its anti-American and terrorist activities and how the Haqqani network is being used for patronising Al-Qaida’s presence on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border did not go down well with Pakistan. Interestingly, it is the same Haqqani network that India has been accusing of enjoying patronage from Pakistan. But the US was in a constant state of denial about the nexus till the blasts in London, Holland, Madrid and in the US embassies in Kabul, Iraq et al. US research operations after these incidents proved the clandestine activities of the ISI and its nexus with the Haqqani network. But faced with hard evidence, the US could no longer condone this unholy nexus.
The trouble is that the US also wants to pursue its strong stand against Pakistan on the issue of aiding militants. At least, it seemed so when Clinton, who stopped in Kabul on her way to Islamabad, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai by her side, warned that Pakistan could not let the current situation continue without paying a “big price”. She made it clear that the US will target all terrorists in their safe havens, including those taking refuge in Pakistan. And Pakistan must decide whether it wants to help or hinder the war on terror.
For that matter Clinton continued in the same vein in her joint press conference with Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani. There she bluntly said that for too long terrorists have been able to operate from Pakistan’s soil and that “you (Pakistan) cannot keep snakes in your backyard which bite your neighbours”. While she could not have been more forthright publicly, Clinton was reportedly even more sharp in the closed door meetings with her Pakistani interlocutors. Her visit, say experts, was meant to douse the fire that had been ignited after harsh comments from both sides. But her words and actions indicated the US was in no mood to humour Pakistan.
Earlier, some strong words from the US Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and the reaction of Pakistan Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, especially with respect to the US issuing directives to Pakistan on handling the Haqqani network, had created an uncomfortable strain in the ties between the two countries. Washington’s accusation of how the ISI patronises and funds the Haqqani network, legitimises its anti-American and terrorist activities and how the Haqqani network is being used for patronising Al-Qaida’s presence on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border did not go down well with Pakistan. Interestingly, it is the same Haqqani network that India has been accusing of enjoying patronage from Pakistan. But the US was in a constant state of denial about the nexus till the blasts in London, Holland, Madrid and in the US embassies in Kabul, Iraq et al. US research operations after these incidents proved the clandestine activities of the ISI and its nexus with the Haqqani network. But faced with hard evidence, the US could no longer condone this unholy nexus.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
