The Americans have started punishing Pakistan after Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar indicated to them that the apology should be delayed despite advice to the contrary from Pakistan Ambassador Sherry Rahman, who indicated to Khar that the circumstances kept changing very fast in the region, therefore, the apology should be accepted.
Highly placed sources in Washington and Islamabad said the American stance was now changing due to pressure from India and other NATO countries and all the home work and advice by Ambassador Sherry Rehman had been wasted due to the inexperience of the foreign minister, especially in the field of international diplomacy.
American sources said Ambassador Grossman also felt that FM Khar was inexperienced and not the right person for such a demanding job. He informed his government that Khar gave mixed signals and made it difficult to work with her, as there was no guarantee of Pakistan’s position when she was dealing with contentious issues. The sources said the Americans had planned a multi-level apology in response to Ambassador Sherry Rahman’s skillful and constant diplomacy and were shocked that the Foreign Office, with a transition at foreign secretary level, let this apology slip between the cracks.
American officials say they waited many days for Islamabad’s response and it seemed the foreign minister overruled the apology, saying Pakistan wanted it only after the parliamentary resolutions. This was a grave error from Islamabad, they say, because soon after, Washington started loosing interest in what Pakistan had to offer.
It is also said that the inordinately long wait for the parliamentary resolutions cost Pakistan dearly. Even to get those finalized, Pakistani ambassador had to come down to Islamabad to get the parliamentary process moving with the president’s help, as others were insisting and talking there on holding out for imaginary opportunities.
This immature politics at the highest levels in the Foreign Office has created a backlash in American quarters, where there is little tolerance for time delays and indecisions. Confusion was further created when the foreign minister reportedly followed the prime minister’s line in telling Grossman that the government was not asking for an apology but only the parliament was asking for it. This itself made the Americans question the focus Islamabad put on the apology and they retracted even further when the April attacks in Kabul were blamed on the Haqqanis.
Now the situation has changed completely, as the NATO supply lines remain blocked from Pakistan and America goes forward with sourcing alternate routes for its cargo to and from Afghanistan.
Cameron Munter is leaving in frustration at Islamabad’s confusion and naiveté. He could not persuade Washington to accept Islamabad’s views in order to create any confidence with Foreign Minister Khar, who seemed more interested in catering to the galleries than dealing diplomatically with the super power.