A photo plastered on the front page of the newspapers shows two women with pearl strings around their necks and pearly smile on their face. These two women are the foreign ministers of USA and Pakistan. The look bright, colourful and happy. It is a rare picture showing gleam of hope in the strained relations of the two countries. Cooling down process has begun and action against the Haqqani network seems to be on the horizon. The message from USA is clear and convincing enough to act within days on it.
The US has asked Pakistani leadership to reduce corruption and show good governance. The Haqqani network and Taliban are a threat to all. Great cooperation of Pakistan has been sought to squeeze out both these menacing groups. Snakes should not be kept in the backyard. Hillary Clinton and her power-backed delegation held discussions with the prime minister and his team. They also met President Zardari.
General Kayani’s message on USA’s army’s intervention inside Pakistan has been understood by Washington and its perils are clear. She agreed with General Kayani that Pakistan was not Iraq or Afghanistan but a nuclear-armed state. Mrs Clinton further reiterated that US respected Pakistan’s sovereignty.
In any case, Pakistan’s security and sovereignty cannot be compromised. Presently, it seems that fences have been mended between the two countries. The further exit strategy depends on Pakistan’s cooperation. Hopefully, the two countries would be able to resolve the thorny issues amicably.
JAVAID BASHIR
Lahore
