When we were kids we learnt many a lesson of life from Aesop’s fables. As one looks at the current war of words launched by American President Trump against Pakistan, one is reminded of the “The Wolf and the Lamb” story. We have had more than six decades long relations with the United States. It has been a mix bag of ups and downs — from most trusted ally in East of Suez — a cornerstone of American foreign policy — to our present status of a lamb threatened by the wolf blaming Pakistan for its reverses in the ongoing 16-year long war in Afghanistan — known in history — as the graveyard of empires. Looking at the intensity of heat going up every moment, I wondered if it was a comedy of error or something deliberate to provide new vistas of debate on Pakistani TV channels running out of steam after the disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on being a God-father running his government as Sicilian mafia, his resignation and taking over by Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi in his place. As soon as President Trump blasted Pakistan, one saw a surge of foreign policy, security experts and ex-diplomats queue up outside TV channels — suited and booted, painted and powdered — to counter blast Trump. Expressing our anger by putting off Alice’s visit is definitely not the right approach. We should have let her come in and express our dismay to her in the best of diplomatic language. Now Americans must be thinking that President Trump has given us a shock and we are finding it hard to recover I came across a picture of Barbara Bush, wife of President Bush Sr laughing over something with President Obama. And the caption said and I quote — Barbara to Obama: “I was mad at you for making my George look so dumb, but that’s behind us now. Thanks to the moron who succeeded you, my son is looking more like a genius every day”. Indeed. Now coming back to the wolf and lamb story — I reproduce it to bring out the commonality of interest. The wolf is hungry; he sees a little lamb drinking water at a brook. Like Trump wants to teach lesson to Pakistan, wolf found some plausible excuse for eating him. Standing higher up the stream began to accuse lamb of disturbing the water, mudding it up and preventing him from drinking. Like Pakistan fighting its own war on terror and having no direct role in Afghanistan as such, the lamb replied that he was only touching the water with his lips; and that, besides, seeing that he was standing downstream, he could not possibly be disturbing the water higher up to make it muddy. Having made no head way in its do more mantra, American General Nicholson now says that the Afghan troublemakers are ensconced in safe havens of Peshawar and Quetta. It is much like the wolf having done no good by his earlier accusation, said: “Well, but last year you insulted my Father.” Poor little creature replied that at that time he was not born, the big bad wolf wound up by saying: “However ready you may be with your answers, I shall none the less make a meal of you.” Current strain in the social media is between sublime to ridiculous. Bigoted and emotional mavericks, would like Pakistan to test fire its long range capabilities. On the other hand, both the Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister reacted first mutedly, then there was knee-jerk reaction to Trump’s firework, followed by volleys of insinuations by General Nicholson. Our Foreign Office decided to cancel American Secretary Alice Wells visit to Pakistan — a symbolic manifestation of our belated so-called hawkish response. Now one has learnt that so far three requests have been made from our side to reschedule it. We are in a Catch-22 situation. It is time to get over with the initial shock, dispel urgently the impression that none of the stakeholders are on the same page. Deft diplomacy requires taking into consideration all the pros and cons. Our reaction should be mature, well conceived and well measured. By putting off Alice’s visit to express our anger is definitely not the right approach. We should have let her come in and given it to her in best of diplomatic language-toughest message. However, with a house divided and knowing not where to go — now Americans must be thinking that President Trump has given us a shock and we are finding it hard to recover. President Bush soon after 9-11 and his administration’s failure to strike a deal with Mulla Omar’s government over gas pipeline, served an ultimatum on General Pervez Musharraf that you are either with us or with them (Taliban), Pakistan has been sinking deeper into the quagmire. His successor Obama had promised to end war and leave. Both the previous Presidents thought that Pakistan would deliver in a platter Taliban to deal with them. In a recent interview I heard Gen Musharraf crying over spilt milk accusing the USA of having used Pakistan to fight the Soviet Union and then leaving us in the cold with four million Afghan refugees and Taliban to look after. I wish the interviewer could have asked him who sold Pakistan out to the Americans as a frontline state in return for billions of US dollars in aid and equipment — both during Gen Zia and his days. Pakistan today is reaping the bitter harvest of the seeds sowed by the two. They preferred to seek legitimacy from Washington rather than their own people. Currently, it is an exercise in futility to continue the endless debate. To effectively counter them we shall have to put our house in order and bury the impression that there exists a nexus between the government, establishment and Haqqani Network. Lastly, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto and PPPP’s leader of opposition Kursheed Shah have rightly demanded immediate calling of the joint session of Parliament to debate not only President Trump’s speech, his latest threats but also lack of effective foreign policy. We need a well-meaning unanimous resolution to convey to Washington to stop bullying us for its own failures despite its heavy presence, drones and mother of all bombs plus troops more to come. The writer is a former High Commissioner of Pakistan to UK and a veteran journalist Published in Daily Times, August 30th 2017.