Last week’s phone call from President Obama to President Zardari sent another signal that the US is actively trying to defuse tensions after last month’s Nato strike.
It follows other high-level communications, including a call from the Secretary of State to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. These have been condolence calls, without apologies. And President Obama hasn’t, likely for domestic compulsions having to do with the Pentagon and US elections, followed reported State Department advice to offer a videotaped statement.
That said, his reaching out, including a commitment to a full investigation, should be acknowledged as an effort to lower the temperature. US officials’ attempts to convince Pakistan to attend the Bonn Conference should also be welcomed as recognition of the country’s importance in brokering an Afghan settlement.
Registering loud and quick protest against the Nato strike was the right move, but at this point some reciprocity would be the constructive way forward. Pakistan may have refused to formally join the investigation but it should at least cooperate to the extent it can.
Another positive signal was the White House’s denial of Mansoor Ijaz’s latest claim that the Pakistani president and prime minister were aware of the Osama bin Laden raid before it took place. The US government did not need to respond to an allegation made by someone who is neither a security official nor a well-regarded analyst but simply a well-connected Pakistani-American businessman.
In fact, it is known for its reluctance to comment on sensitive matters, or at least for taking time before responding. The quick response in this case was a clear signal of support for Pakistan’s civilian administration.
And the context that cannot be forgotten in any evaluation of recent Pakistani or US moves is that both governments are facing severe political opposition in the run-up to elections. Republican candidates for the presidency are in attack mode as their primaries inch closer, and President Obama’s calculations will inevitably include domestic political risk through this stage and over the next year as he fights the chosen Republican contender.
At home, PML(N) Chief Nawaz Sharif has joined his party officials in the fray, with his complaint to the Supreme Court over Mr Ijaz’s memo being only the latest display of his political intentions.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s PTI makes quick use of any perceived kowtowing to the US. The next year, then, is going to be qualitatively different for US-Pakistan ties than the last three years have been. Both administrations will have to strike a delicate balance between being sufficiently nationalist for domestic audiences and cooperative and sympathetic enough to save whatever alliance remains.
MOHAMMAD JAHANZEB
Karachi