Adm Mullen, as reported in Pakistan Today, has said that America’s military to military ties with India were “going very well” whereas military to military relationship between Pakistan and US were passing through a difficult time.
The new Indo-US love makes it obvious that America wants to have a share in more than a billion peoples’ economy and a huge market for its military industrial complex. Mullen noted that USA and India were cooperating with each other in fighting terrorism and in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.
The US has already inked number of civil nuclear deals with India which is a non-signatory of NPT and even persuaded Nuclear Supply Group (NSG) to honour these special favours. On the other hand, Pakistan a strategic partner, non-NATO ally and a coalition partner in war on terror is denied of this facility and its peaceful nuclear programme is always targeted not only by India, Israel, but also by the US.
A constant media campaign against Pakistan and its security forces is on after the 2 May incident, when Pakistan raised the question of violation of its sovereignty and asked the US operatives working in Pakistan to leave.
As a Pakistani, incidents of stoppage of military aid and now Indo-US nuclear cooperation are forcing the citizens of Pakistan to think that the US is again walking away.
The problem of trust deficit should be solved and it is in the interest of both the countries to cooperate to make this a peaceful and prosperous region.
SHAHID ZAHOOR
Rawalpindi