Not like Pakistan doesn’t have enough problems
As parliament debates the parameters of relations with the US, discordant notes emerge from the US. On Wednesday, Secretary Clinton reaffirmed that, notwithstanding the ups and downs, the Obama administration remains committed to relations with Pakistan. The same day, a State Department official gave the list of the 12 countries that could be subjected to US sanctions unless they significantly cut oil purchases from Iran. Islamabad already continues to be pressured against the construction of the badly needed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. While none of the UN sanctions binds its members to stop the import of oil or gas from Iran, a US law requires the imposition of sanctions to safeguard its interests. Pakistan, which is hard pressed by power shortages, cannot but give priority to its own national interests. Washington has to understand that sanctions imposed on Pakistan in the past did not deter successive governments from pursuing what they considered to be vital policy options. These only made the US unpopular in the country.
The US has looked the other way as regimes playing vital role in its strategic plans violated US laws with impunity. In the case of the present sanctions also, important allies have been given reprieve for six months. While Islamabad may not always be acting in accordance with Washington’s demands it remains an important ally. The US would create problems for the fledgling democracy by imposing sanctions. What is of utmost importance for Washington and Islamabad is to improve mutual cooperation to be able to put a decisive end to militancy in the region. Unless the two are on the same page, the pot will keep boiling in Afghanistan even after the withdrawal of the foreign troops. This would bode well neither for Pakistan nor for the rest of the world.
There is a need for rationality to prevail both in Washington and Islamabad. All out attempts need to be made at this juncture to improve the ties rather than create new causes of grievance. It is for the US to end the talk about sanctions. Unless Pakistan is able to put an end to the public uproar over gas and oil shortages, it cannot single-mindedly pursue the fight against militancy.
