ISLAMABAD – As the Pak-US bilateral diplomatic relations are on the lowest ebb with the issue of Raymond Davis still unresolved, the US has put on hold the crucial US-Pak-Afghan meeting scheduled to be held in Washington on February 24-26.
The latest step on the part of the US authorities is being seen as a strong message clearly demonstrating Washington’s displeasure over Islamabad’s refusal to grant immunity to Davis, who is declared a diplomat by his country.
“It has been conveyed to the Pakistani embassy in Washington that the meeting between the foreign ministers of the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan to discuss and devise a plan for ensuring peace in Afghanistan after the US starts pulling out its troops in July 2011 would be held when the issue of Davis is resolved to the satisfaction of the American government,” a source told Pakistan Today on Monday.
This is for the second time that Washington has snubbed Islamabad in a short span of time on the issue of Davis as earlier US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton refused to meet her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Munich, Germany, on the sidelines of Afghanistan related security talks after which Pakistani foreign minister was asked not to undertake the visit by the Presidency as it would be embarrassing for the country.
The US-Pak-Afghan trilateral meeting was vital in the sense that it was meant to increase counter-terrorism cooperation among all three important states in the anti-terror global campaign. The source said some upcoming visits by US officials and members of Congress had also been put on hold owing to increasing tension between Washington and Islamabad over Davis’ issue.
“One such visit was that of US Deputy Secretary of State for Treasury, who was supposed to arrive here in next few days,” he said.
