In recent months, the US-Pakistan relationship has deteriorated from bad to worse and the two sides seem to be on a collision course. A number of issues have served as a catalyst just this month:: the recent attack on a hotel in Kabul by the Taliban, the US’s clear refusal to apologize over the Salala incident, diplomats allegedly being harassed and denied visas in both countries, and most alarming of all,: the US’s reported intent to mount raids across the border. The issue of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is becoming more and more serious. Most attacks that have taken place in and around Kabul have been traced back to the Haqqani network, a terrorist outfit that many believe Pakistan’s generals and agencies are turning a blind eye towards. It’s quite simple: if and when the US declares the Haqqani network a terrorist outfit, which it has repeatedly warned it will, Pakistan would automatically be declared a terrorist harbouring state. This would not only invite immediate sanctions by the UN but all sorts of other troubles as well, including potential attacks by the US. The question to be asked is whether our military establishment, in its zeal to secure the western border and so-called strategic depth in Afghanistan by ruling Kabul through such proxies, is putting Pakistan at greater risk than we can possibly afford. Dividing the militants into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban was a ploy that may have worked at a certain point, but it has certainly passed its sell by date now. There is no such thing as a ‘good’ terrorist. The option to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds is no longer viable. So why are we continuing to pursue this course with no thought for the consequences? The US-Pakistan relationship has been challenging from the start, where both sides are to blame for a number of misgivings. It is neither in the US’s or Pakistan’s interests to allow the relationship to continue spiralling down towards a complete breakdown. It is in both our interests to better manage it, despite the estrangement. But there is one inescapable conclusion: we have to do more about the terrorist safe havens inside our country. This is a matter that is in our control. The militants have butchered and killed tens of thousands of innocent Pakistanis and spread fear and a feeling of impending doom across the country. Let’s call a spade a spade. Pakistan is in no position to fight the US and NATO, nor are we able to afford and withstand any sanctions that may follow. A serious rethinking and revisit is required. True statesmanship is the ability to change the direction of a policy that has run its course and changed from being an advantage to a disadvantage. There is still time. *