As much as we would like to believe, it is not all sunny as far as relations between the US and Pakistan in the war against terrorism are concerned. Trust, proper coordination and effective handling are just some of the cogs missing in this chain. This faceless enemy, terrorism, has played havoc both in Pakistan and abroad. Its aftermath has brought the decade-long alliance to near collapse.
The Pakistan Army was bypassed for the Abbottabad operation not for its lack of will, or its incompetence, but due to suspicions about it being in consort with the militants. Gen Kayani being ‘angered’ on this point does not seem outlandish given his special relations with Adm Mike Mullen. There appears to be a united stand taken by the political and military leadership: resolutions against the drone attacks and CJCSC Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne’s cancelling his visit to the US all corroborate this theory. All is not dark and gloomy, though. On their part, Pakistan has given the CIA access to Osama’s widows.
Neither party can win this war alone. Any unilateral action, like the one taken on May 2, would surely put both the countries on paths not parallel but at 180 degrees to each other. Crucial aspects of this war, like intelligence sharing, operational decisions, tactical moves, equipment, terrain info and such, would be impossible even if the CIA operates its own network of spies.
Osama’s death has not brought any end to this menace. Al-Qaeda’s off-shoots and militant organisations like LeT are still glaring red on the radar screens. Only a comprehensive policy can eliminate them or make them neutral. Other wise, the Abbottabad operation is just a precursor of what may be in store. It might prove not to be the last nail, so to speak, but the first one. Both sides should sit together, a step that had sadly been missing for the past 12 days or so, and sort out their differences before they reach a point of no return.
