Singing the same tune
What Clinton said in New Delhi at a press conference with the Indian exterior minister indicates both a desire to work with Pakistan and to continue to persuade it to do more in the ongoing fight against terrorism. There is an indication of a thaw in US-Pakistan relations as a result of a number of high level meetings between the military authorities of the two countries and a visit by DG ISI to Washington. Islamabad has issued visas to 87 CIA personnel restoring the Agency’s strength in Pakistan to what it was before January when relations between the two countries nosedived. Under the new rules agreed during the Washington visit, the CIA would share more information with the ISI about what its operatives are doing in Pakistan.
A number of differences, however, still persist. The $800 million military aid remains suspended, drone strikes continue unabated and the US is unwilling to vacate the Shamsi Airbase. Kashmiri leader Ghulam Nabi Fai’s arrest on charge of involvements in illegal lobbying for the ISI could be a new irritant in relations. So would be the killing of four Pakistani soldiers from mortars fired by the Nato forces on Tuesday. While hopefully some of the issues might be resolved when Admiral Mullen visits Islamabad, there are indications that he might press Pakistan for an operation in North Waziristan.
Secretary Clinton has encouraged the ongoing attempts at normalisation of relations between Pakistan and India. The remarks are all the more welcome as they come days before the first formal meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries after the Mumbai attacks. She has also reiterated that Washington considers Pakistan a key ally in the fight against terrorism, urging Islamabad at the same time to do more to uproot the terrorists’ safe havens.
Hina Rabbani Khar takes over as Pakistan’s foreign minister at a time when the country is trying to resolve highly complicated differences with the US and India. She is also expected to regain the foreign ministry’s turf occupied by the GHQ to enable the political leadership to take major foreign policy decisions. The task is highly challenging. It remains to be seen how the country’s first woman foreign minister copes with the daunting issues.