Daily Times

Worsening of relations between Pakistan and the US is of continued concern. Under the present circumstances, this is not a relationship that can be severed at a moment’s notice without serious consequences for not just the larger aims of the anti-Taliban/al Qaeda effort but also for Pakistan’s already hanging-on-by-a-thread economy. Despite passing of a clear anti-drone strikes resolution after the parliamentary review of Pak-US relations, the US has not halted its drone attacks, the latest in North Waziristan on Sunday killing three alleged terrorists. While Pakistan’s Foreign Office officially protested against the latest attack, the counterterrorism chief of Obama’s administration, John Brennan has termed the use of drone strikes as legal, ethical and proportional, protected by international laws — a UN mandate given to the US for its counterterrorism efforts. His assertive statement has put the Pakistan government in a tough position. It knows that the recent Kabul attacks have angered the US. The space for face saving seems to have shrunk. Pakistan cannot linger on with its dual policy in the war on terror any longer. It has to decide which side it is on.

Musharraf’s regime gave the US every imaginable concession on one phone call after 9/11 but it adopted a dual policy of helping the US dismantle al Qaeda while preserving the Taliban for its strategic depth policy. The incumbent government carried on with the same ambiguous policy. But since Pak-US relations soured after the Raymond Davis, OBL and Salala episodes, Pakistan has tried to renegotiate its terms of engagement with the US. Interestingly, the US under Obama has belatedly understood the double game of Pakistan’s military (and now civilian) establishment. The drone attacks will seemingly continue targeting terrorists within Pakistan’s territory. There is also a possibility that the UN would ask Pakistan to open the supply routes on threat of sanctions because under international law, no country can refuse its neighbouring landlocked country access. After the Salala attack, Pakistan did not attend the Bonn Conference to register its protest and lost the chance to reinforce its significance in the Afghanistan endgame. If now Pakistan is contemplating boycotting the upcoming Chicago Summit too, this would only isolate the country further. Prime Minister Gilani’s statement reflects his understanding of the situation. We cannot carry on with our old policy as it has been exposed and become unproductive for some time. The UN mandate arguably allows the US drone strikes on terrorists in Pakistan in the absence of any action against them on our part. Any further attempt on our part to preserve our so-called strategic assets would further isolate us and might even invite UN sanctions. It is time for a reality check. *