- Dangerous US-Pak diplomatic spat
President Trump started the downslide with his New Year ‘lies and deceit’ tweet, a tunnel vision, simplistic perception demonising Pakistan for massive US failure in Afghanistan by providing safe havens to terrorists, decrying futile, foolish $33 billion aid to Pakistan and ending with an imperious ‘No More’. The glaring US policy flaws in prosecution of Afghan war were conveniently compressed into two words, Haqqani Network, and the case against Pakistan built around its alleged support to it. Suspension of Coalition Support Funds followed this unfair reasoning, firmly denied by Pakistan, which also cynically ignored the terror-torn country’s enormous sacrifices. Further controversy was triggered by US’s leading role in Financial Action Task Force proceedings placing Pakistan on money-laundering grey/black list, and recently, by US defeating Pakistan’s proposal for placing its most wanted terrorist, Khalid Khorasani, on UNSC sanction committee list. The subsequent post-tweet comings and goings of senior civilian officials and long enduring army-to-army contacts obviously failed to stem the growing tide of ill-will, and suspicion and distrust have now reached such a stage that an unfortunate full-fledged diplomatic disruption is going on and spreading.
Domestically beleaguered US president’s impulsive, unpredictable style marked by strong likes and dislikes, the US’s embrace of equally eager new strategic ‘equal partner’ India, hostile focus on China, Pakistan’s ‘all-weather friend’ and ‘iron brother’, Pakistan’s nuclear/missile programme, weak Pakistani government’s casual approach, and the country’s protracted political turmoil and precariously poised economy, have all combined to lead to this fraught situation. The foreign minister faces a lifetime ban from politics and has been replaced by a new one while the nominated, and since accepted, ambassador to Washington, a prominent businessman, is a stripling novice in the diplomatic sphere. Both Pakistan and the US have termed their recent actions ‘reciprocal’, but notwithstanding who started it, restricting free movement of diplomatic staff to 25 miles effective Friday, and recent defiant measures announced by Islamabad regarding diplomatic cargo scanning, radio communication equipment, SIMS verification, visa periods’ adherence, number plates of embassy vehicles and tinted windows, augur ill for future relations. Better sense should prevail, as Pakistan’s role is pivotal both in resolving the Afghan war and in the region.
