аЯрЁБс > ўџ > @ ўџџџ = џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС 5@ №П 0 |# bjbjЯ2Я2 "* X X | џџ џџ џџ К К К К К К К Ю ж ж ж ж т Ю * њ $ F R n С К Ы Ы Ы С К К ж Ы К К Ы # К К # ю @ё#$мЬ ж Ы " # ь 0 # э # Ю Ю К К К К # \ К ќ F R l О С С Ю Ю в Ю Ю в Endangered partnership HYPERLINK "http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintWriterName.aspx?ID=9&URL=M%20Saeed%20Khalid" \o "Read all articles / stories M Saeed Khalid" M Saeed KhalidThursday, January 26, 2012 The writer is a former ambassador and head of Americas division in the ministry of foreign affairs.Three episodes occurring in 2011 have transformed the long-standing Pak-US alliance into an acrimonious partnership. The common denominator between the shooting by Raymond Davis, the airborne raid targeting Osama bin Laden and the killing of 24 army personnel in Mohmand agency, is the use of force by Americans on Pakistans soil. No matter how hard the US tries to explain these three events, the inescapable conclusion is that the Americans were determined to deliberately violate Pakistans sovereignty. The lack of remorse over repeated disregard of the nations independence and dignity has led to an unprecedented rise of anger against the US and considerable weakening of Pakistans resolve in facilitating the Isaf mission.Pakistan retaliated by curtailing the presence of US operations on its territory and blocking visas for new agents. Intelligence sharing was reviewed and Shamsi base repossessed. Pakistan also boycotted the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan and more recently asked the US to defer a visit to Islamabad by its special representative on Af-Pak. These measures were no doubt prompted by the big bully behaviour of the Americans in 2011. But the stage had already been set by Washingtons systematic undermining of its friendship with Pakistan. The partisans of a muscular approach to conducting Americas partnership with Pakistan had succeeded in blocking Coalition Support Funds disbursements to Islamabad. They were also busy in pushing for more restrictions on the Kerry-Lugar-Berman legislation for aid to Pakistan.Policy-makers in Pakistan were miffed by the exuberant showcasing of US India strategic partnership by the US leadership including President Obama while omitting Pakistan from his tour. It did not occur to the Americans that while they had every right to work for a closer relationship with India, there was no point in snubbing Pakistan which had been paying the heavy price for her partnership in the war on terror for a decade in blood.The US had no qualms about denying Pakistan civil nuclear technology and the badly needed defence items while pushing for sales of advanced fighter planes and nuclear reactors to India. The greater irony was that while the US was bending backwards to open dialogue with the representatives of Mulla Umar, Pakistan was publicly castigated for not killing enough fighters of the Haqqani group. Pakistan was blamed for Osamas presence on its soil but the sole super power did not have the courage of showing the world any proof that it indeed had the corpse of Al-Qaedas leader.The death of 24 Pakistani army personnel at Salala by the US forces had the merit of making the Pakistani generals and civilian leaders sit up and tell the world that a major redline had been crossed and Pakistan could no longer conduct business as usual with the US, Isaf and Nato. Pakistans friends understood the anguish and pain of the nation at the wanton killing of our soldiers. However, they did not support Pakistans demands for an apology from the US.The United States have killed hundreds of allied troops in friendly fire in various wars but do not believe in rendering apologies. They have maintained that might is right tradition after Salala, so one really has to ponder whether we should accept Washingtons expression of regret and assurance about avoiding recurrence of similar attacks in the future. That could be a way out of the deadlock provided the Americans reciprocate by adopting measures to compensate Pakistan in some other ways.To begin, the blocked CSF payments should be released without delay. The US should also offer Pakistan badly needed defence items not as a favour but as normal consideration for the most crucial ally in the war against terrorists and the most important country to help the US and their coalition partners to undertake an orderly exit from Afghanistan. Reports about Pakistan asking for transit fees on container traffic destined for foreign forces in Afghanistan make sense but the operation is becoming increasingly unpopular and would require extraordinary efforts by the government to ensure the smooth passage of containers in transit.Foreign Minister Khars remarks about Pakistans desire for seeking new terms of engagement with Washington in the days ahead, coincide with reports of talks with the TTP faltering and the recrudescence of their terror attacks as well as Al-Qaedas exhortations to Pakistani jihadists to provide more fighters for Afghanistan.TTPs aversion to talks and accommodation is understandable as signs of weakness on their part can adversely affect them in more than one way. This state of affairs does not make things easier for our military who are left with no choice but to continue their anti-militant operations at great cost in human and material terms. The militants probably realise that support for militancy among the people is on the decline and Pakistans firm stand against the US attacks on its soil has enhanced the states position in dealing with the TTP and their assorted allies.If the terrorists are our villains of choice, those leading the war against them are no saints either. The US launched a full-fledged war in one of the worlds poorest countries when targeted operations could have yielded considerable success against the terrorists. It launched a second war for taking out a regime accused of proliferating WMDs. The US is flexing muscles again to defang Irans nuclear apparatus. It is busy in conjuring another epic struggle between good and evil farther east. Washington has been urging India, Indonesia, Australia, Japan, Korea and whoever else is prepared to listen, to gear up against the threat of Chinese domination. The old reflex to contain China is in evidence as the US leaders make their forays into the Far East. Dialogue and friendship have been replaced by arm-twisting and intimidation as tools of diplomacy. Not a very nice way to work in a world moving towards multi-polarity.Pak-US relations have nose-dived to such an extent that the voices of reason on both sides have become even more subdued. The powerful lobbies working against close cooperation between the two countries have become more menacing in recent months. The media have played into their hands to a point where it is no longer fashionable to stand up and ask for salvaging a mutually beneficial partnership. Nowadays, it would require a great deal of courage to swim against the tide of obnoxious statements against reviving the floundering partnership with the US. The future of Americas on-again off-again strategic alliance with Pakistan appears endangered as never before.Email: saeed.saeedk@ gmail.com Њ Ћ Й К Л е л z# {# |# ёцзцзЙзцzцs hs hs %hs hs OJ QJ fH qЪ џџџџ !hs hs 0J fH qЪ џџџџ 4hs hs 6B*OJ QJ ]fH ph qЪ џџџџ ;hs hs 0J 6>* B*OJ QJ ]fH ph qЪ џџџџ j hs hs OJ QJ Uhs hs OJ QJ hs hs CJ$ OJ QJ aJ$ з й л {# |# я т т т т т т р -D MЦ џџџџ gds $-D MЦ џџџџ a$gds |# ў 1hАа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %А D @ёџ D N o r m a l CJ _HaJ mH nHsH tH D A@ђџЁ D D e f a u l t P a r a g r a p h F o n t R i@ѓџГ R T a b l e N o r m a l і 4ж l 4ж aі ( k@єџС ( N o L i s t 4 U`Ђ ё 4 s H y p e r l i n k >*ph џ L ўoЂ L s n e w s t e x t 1 ! 7>* OJ QJ S*Y( ^J o( ph | * џџџџ з й л { ~ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 з й л { ~ Oy0 \EЃ `Ѓ dЃ hЃ l My0 My0 My0 My0 My0 |# |# |# Њ К | Xџџџm Jз m" Jз d{ Jз w Jз Tw Jз Jз ~ Jз пЏ Jз TЎ Jз пЎ Jз ^ Jз TЫЏ Jз \Z Jз Ф Jз Ќ ЁJз Dg ЂJз ЬпЎ ЃJз ЌЇЖ ЄJз ЄЉЖ ЅJз фЉЖ ІJз |ЊЖ ЇJз |2г ЈJз Ќ0г ЉJз |/г ЊJз <.г ЋJз Њд ЌJз є4г Jз wЖ ЎJз