NEW YORK – A former American ambassador to Pakistan highlighted the importance of the South Asian country for the US amid strains in Islamabad-Washington relations over the Raymond Davis affair that led to calls for a cut-off of US aid.
“Like it or not, Pakistan is our lifeline,” Wendy Chamberlin was quoted as saying in the course of a New York Times’ dispatch on Sunday, while talking about the activities of the detained Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operator and the adverse impact his action of shooting dead two Pakistani men had on the US-Pakistan relationship.
Chamberlin said America’s relationship with Pakistan remained essential for security in the region. There were many reasons for continuing the relationship with such a large and strategically important country, she said, adding that needs of the Afghan war made ending the relationship impossible, because there were no better routes over which to transport the military supplies that were being shipped through Pakistan.
The Times’ dispatch acknowledged that Davis’ shooting had “complicated” American attempts to portray him as a paper-shuffling diplomat who stamped visas as a day job. His action generated several accusations and many Pakistanis confirmed suspicions that America had deployed a secret army of spies and contractors inside the country, said the newspaper.
“It has also called unwelcome attention to a bigger, more dangerous game in which Davis appears to have played just a supporting role,” the dispatch said. Quoting American officials, the newspaper said, “The CIA team Davis worked with had among its assignments the task of secretly gathering information about Lashkar-e-Taiba.”
