Many of Pakistan’s ‘distinguished’ TV hosts have again allowed themselves to be swept by emotions and are teeming with infinite exuberance under the fallacy that the newfound gusto of the country’s military and civilian leaderships is for real this time. Actually, that is not how things work and they will only end up with their hopes thwarted. But who can blame them… Following the NATO helicopter strike in Pakistan’s territory near the Afghan border that killed 24 of our soldiers, our leaders have metamorphosed from timid lambs to roaring lions. They are holding nothing back to show that they really mean it this time. Pakistan has blocked NATO’s supply routes, asked the US to vacate the air base in Balochistan that was reportedly being used for drone flights – it is another matter as to why that was allowed in the first place – and decided not to attend a conference on Afghanistan in the German city of Bonn.
All this is bound to make believers out of many. It is not just the overexcited TV hosts, but a good chunk of the nation is also caught up in the trend. But come to think of it. Can the Pakistani military and civilian leaderships really be serious about making Washington a foe? They realise that if they do not dish out a strong reaction, the bloodhound-like media and the public seething with rage would not spare them. Opposition parties, lying in wait like vultures for something like this to come their way, would pounce on the opportunity from the word go. Therefore, the situation needs to be pacified and that is exactly what is being done.
Saner heads understand that though it is tempting to indulge in bravado, there are matters that require to be dealt with a pragmatic approach. Pakistan is a country with all sorts of crises that come to mind: a dwindling economy, a crippling energy shortage, inflation, unemployment, and the list goes on. It is not exactly the time to end up in the ‘enemy state’ list of the Americans.
As for the attack that has caused such a stir, the matter would be ‘sorted out’ sooner or later when the dust settles. It is unlikely to be clear what actually happened at that check-post in Mohmand. The NATO forces are frustrated as the militants are giving them a hard time. In addition, there is the Pakistan-US mistrust building up.
Perhaps in one of those “hot pursuits”, NATO helicopter pilots repeated the error of believing that the Pakistani soldiers’ warning shots were an attack on them, similar to the case in 2009. Recent happenings have kept tilting the advantage as to who will do the talking. Sometimes it has landed in Pakistan’s lap, but on most occasions, it is the US that has bossed around its difficult ally.
This time, it is Pakistan that feels that it can have its way and it would surely want to call it a wrap with a befitting ‘deal’.
Dishing out a platter full of bravado
