Dawn of enlightenment!

Revisiting Pakistan-US relations has lately been the order of the day. Thanks to the blessings of democracy (the best revenge, remember?), the formulation of Foreign policy – or at least the US bit – was handed over to the parliament. The parliament’s ‘recommendations’ are now on the high table. The Pak-US relations that were slated for the much-vaunted ‘re-visit’ are now in the melting pot so to speak. One thing that sticks out like a sore thumb merits special mention. The truth (?) appears to have, at long last, dawned on the powers that be in the Land of the Pure (and that includes the media), in that they have suddenly stumbled on the sensational realization that our ‘strategic partner’, the United States of America, cares more about its own strategic goals than our piddling reservations. Our worthy leaders, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, appeared to be outraged at America’s new-found preoccupation with the so-called ‘Haqqani network’. They need not have been; if only they had done their sums right, betimes. But why fret over this trifling detail, when the same happens to be the bane of practically all our ventures in the minefield of foreign relations? We are prone to basing our calculations on purely superficial considerations and then feigning surprise when confronted with the facts of life.

Living (and alive) nations study their histories with care. They do so because they wish to steer clear of the mistakes they had committed in the past. We, due to some unfathomable flaw in our make-up, are drawn towards repeating past blunders, much like iron filings attracted towards a magnet. And, what is worse, we tend to blame our failings on others or on providence. A fleeting glance at recent history may not be out of turn. Post- nine/eleven, the US administration posed the pointed question: are you with us or against us? Needless to add, Pakistan’s establishment instantly jumped onto the bandwagon. The attack on Afghanistan followed and we enthusiastically offered our ‘good offices’, our airspace and open-ended moral and logistic support, in that order. The war on terror was on.

The declared American objectives were to a) destroy the al-Qaeda network, believed to be responsible for nine/eleven; and b) punish the ‘Taliban’ for having afforded asylum to the al-Qaeda leadership. Sometime down the line, the US administration unilaterally moved the goal posts to expand their objectives. The whole complexion of the war was thereby changed and so was the emphasis. Little objection was evident from Pakistan side. Little wonder, then, that in due course attention got riveted on ‘sanctuaries’ on Pakistan soil. Some ten years on, the war on terror has been transformed into an open-ended conflict with no denouement in sight, and the theatre is apparently being shifted to Pakistan. Pakistan’s façade as a ‘front-line state’ is being upgraded to that of a belligerent state. The moot point is: those who matter ought to have seen it coming months, if not years, earlier. The question begging for an answer is: how long can this blessed country continue to take others’ irons out of the fire without burning its fingers in the process?

Some time back, the Prime Minister stated that Pakistan cannot be responsible for the security of the US, NATO and ISAAF forces in Afghanistan. Fair enough! But does this realization not come a bit late in the day when the damage has already been done? It is never a clever policy to attempt to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted. Given the past record, protestations at this stage will not be taken seriously by any one, least of all by the United States or NATO. Let it not be forgotten that in the American lexicon ‘there is no free lunch’. In the midst of the hullabaloo, what is not clear is what our government is aiming to achieve. Are we trying to provoke a confrontation and if so to what end? Or, alternatively, is this all a game of pelf? We are playing difficult to get, while our strategic ally is threatening to squeeze the flow of assistance. In this never ending exercise of make-believe, neither side appears to be on level ground. American (and NATO’s) frustrations with the unenviable situation in Afghanistan filter through loud and clear. The Afghan regime is joining in the charade by leveling serious charges against Pakistan.

The stark choices facing the Land of the Pure should be clear enough. Belaboring the country’s sacrifices in the cause of the war on terror is neither here nor there. Lost causes can hardly serve as handy crutches. The need of the hour is to look to the future. The time for serious introspection is upon us. There is need to tote up the assets and liabilities. The powers that be need to carry out a serious exercise to arrive at a cost-benefit ratio and to make sure our order of priorities is not awry.