Haqqani urges US to take tougher line on Pakistan

By
fraaz
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39
170

Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani, has urged the American government to take a tougher line on Islamabad. “Pakistan ends up behaving like Syria while wanting to be treated like Israel,” Haqqani told a large number of journalists, think tankers, opinion makers and government officials at a luncheon in Washington held by the Center for the National Interest. “And the behavior change is not going to come unless and until there is behavior change on your part.
So you should stop the meddling. … You have to stop going in and seeing all our politicians and thinking they are all your friends and trying to influence. “Make Pakistanis realize that America has an interest in Pakistan, but you know what, America respects Pakistani opinion. Show respect for Pakistani public opinion. And if Pakistanis don’t want to be your friends, you don’t want to be their friends, thank you very much.” Haqqani, who recently returned to the United States to become director of the Center of International Relations at Boston University, was removed as Pakistani ambassador late last year after facing charges that he sought US help to prevent a military coup in Pakistan in the wake of the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden. But Haqqani’s essential argument at the luncheon was that America and Pakistan should no longer put up the pretense that they are allies. Haqqani said that it is unrealistic to believe that “endless discussions and chats and what I call the class of narratives will somehow, some day produce a change of thinking either in Washington or Islamabad.” The US isn’t going to be convinced to treat India as an enemy for Pakistan’s sake and Pakistan won’t be convinced to give up its nuclear weapons or end its support for jihadi groups it sees as strategically beneficial for “regional influence” because America wants it to, he said. “So the future of US-Pakistan relations is what I call a post-alliance future,” Haqqani explained.
“Now stop thinking of each other as allies. That will give Pakistan flexibility in terms of being able to do certain things which may or may not be approved by the United States, but the people in Pakistan who always claim our sovereignty is most important, they will be able to exercise that sovereignty, but then they will also have to bear the responsibility for that sovereignty.” America, in turn, will be freer to institute more coercive measures against Pakistan, Haqqani said. “I am nowadays proposing that it is time for both countries to recognize that the convergence in interest that is needed for two countries to be allies does not exist at this point,” Haqqani further explained, adding that such relationship between the US and Pakistan wouldn’t mean the two couldn’t “work together in areas we can work together.”
Haqqani also said Pakistan needs to form a commission to thoroughly investigate who knew al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan, because “somebody knew.”
“It is Pakistan’s responsibility to the world to say who did it? Who? Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t have to be the government, it doesn’t have to be the ISI, it doesn’t have to be the military and I say that again and again. It may be private individuals. But whoever it is, we need to come clean on that because that is the only way we will reassure the rest of the world that the Pakistan government and the Pakistan state has its hands clean in relation to this whole thing.”

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39 COMMENTS

  5. Does Haqqani's loyalties rest with U.S. or Pakistan? With this statement, is he trying to prove that his lords and masters are the CIA as alleged by some?

  7. I really dont understand why the US keeps on giving aids to dysfunctional nations to keep them dependent on others and never looking inwards to improve themselves. When Pakistan will be on its own its leaders and people will realize in what state they are in and only then they maybe able to come out of the dark ages, as they wont have others to blame for their mess

  9. This guy is blot on the reputation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a mercenary who will sell his mother for a profit.

    When are we going to get out of this neo-colonialist mentality.. Why do we appoint ambassadors like him (traitor) on behest of US.

  11. There should be arrest warrant for treason for this man, and all countries should comply in getting this man back to pakistan.

    And a trial should be held in accordance with law to bring justice.

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  19. Two people who should be in Detention are Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani and former planted PM oF musharaff Shaukat Aziz

  23. Well done Hussain Haqani, this is the bitter truth which is very hard to swallow by the nation which has been told lies day in day out by rightist islamofascist media.

  24. If he is traitor then What about her American national wife Farah Naz Asfahani the special adviser of A.Z.?

    And what about him to whom she is advising day and night.

    Now it is open secret that the Guy was CIA planted.

  33. A very brilliant and cogent opinion by Ex-Ambassador but it is unfortunate that we are unable or quite ignorant to the facts. We are on constant course of denial and same with US. Hussain Haqqani was the best mouth of Pakistan that always pleaded Pakistan’s case with cogent and rational voice. It is sad indeed that some hot headed, irrational and silly so called patriots of this country always undermined Hussain Haqqani’s analysis and labeled him as a traitor. Since last 65 years we still could not decide between rationality and stupidity. During his tenure he worked hard to lift up Pakistan image in USA and also to bridge the gap while the relation went in turmoil between the two countries. Good Pakistani citizens have lost the services of a great man.

  34. Quite convincing arguments by ex-ambassador. He is one among the brilliants with very positive analysis and views. I salute his efforts to sustain Pak-US strenuous ties during his tenure. His services for this country are unrivaled. But it is unfortunate we are a nation that always undermined and abused our intelligential. In a fabricated case we maligned, blamed and badly criticized him, without realizing the facts behind this self written drama. I could still remember the bold and beautiful media also sheepishly turned its back on one of its own comrades, Saleem Shahzad, who was murdered under very suspicious circumstances. A commission is considering the case at a snail’s pace and it is not difficult to predict beforehand what will be its findings. Similarly, the Abbottabad Commission, riding on turtles, is engaged in a possible whitewashing exercise. If terrorists are allowed entry in military organisations, where they create and run cells unchecked, and consequently GHQ and Mehran base buildings are attacked, it does not matter as it is none of our business. It is only predestined for civilian leaders that they should be jailed, tortured, hanged, exiled and put on media trial. After all, to err is civilian.

  35. Thanks but no thanks mr Haqqani, You have shown us your true colours,..Pakistan is Supreme and individuals like you can’t help,nor is your mere empty words needed.

  36. No friend of Pak nation, Mere empty words from Haqqani are worthless,..Traitor and so are his associates still ruling Pakistan..their days are counted as Pak army and ISI are in control.

  37. ALLAH SUBHAN TALLAH give Pak nation a visionary,honest leader to take us as Pak nation to the heights we belong.

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