Strained relations

The state of open hostility that now exists between Pakistan and US was on display again on Wednesday when the new US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives and accused Pakistan of mistreating their diplomats. This was a clear reference to the restrictions recently placed on American diplomats in retaliation for similar restrictions imposed on Pakistani diplomats in the US. Such tit-for-tat measures are common in international diplomacy as they would ideally serve as a deterrent to countries from treating foreign diplomats badly. But the US has always applied one standard to itself and a higher standard for the rest of the world. What is interesting about Pompeo’s testimony is not the disingenuous criticism of Pakistan but that he is willing to go public with his complaints. The Donald Trump administration has decided not to deal with its grievances against Pakistan in private, preferring instead to be as confrontational as possible. The belief seems to be that this intimidating attitude will browbeat Pakistan into following its dictates. What the US wants above all is for Pakistan to take action against the Haqqani Network and the Afghan Taliban, prioritising military operations against groups that carry out attacks in Afghanistan rather than those threatening Pakistan.

So far, Pakistan has shown no appetite for accepting US bullying; the country seems to also have chosen the path of confrontation. This was shown earlier this month when we demanded the inclusion of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar leader Umer Khorasani on the UN Security Council sanctions committee list. The US vetoed the demand because Khorasani is based in Afghanistan and the US doesn’t want to admit that it and its Afghan allies have been allowing these groups to operate in the country. The reason Pakistan has been able to be bolder in withstanding US pressure – and to instead also go on the offensive – is because the country is no longer as dependent on US aid as it was, thanks to the influx of Chinese money. Harassment of Pakistani diplomats in the US has always been routine and, as the cases of Raymond Davis and Colonel Joseph Emmanuel showed, US diplomats in Pakistan have operated with murderous impunity. The restrictions imposed by us were meant to show that we will no longer roll over as we once did. Pompeo’s outburst is an indication that the tactic may be working.