EVEN as Pakistan and the US try to negotiate their way into a workable relationship, American drone strikes continue. The last few days have seen a flurry of attacks, with five strikes following the Nato summit at which the two countries failed to reach a deal on Isaf supply routes. Coming after Pakistani lawmakers called for their “immediate cessation”, this is a snub that implies America respects neither Pakistan’s sovereignty nor the democracy it claims it wants to see flourish. More pragmatically, the continuing attacks are making progress on the relationship that much more difficult. Parliament’s position could have been taken as a starting point from which to bargain. Pakistan has recognised the value of drone strikes in taking out some of its own enemies. A coordinated mechanism could be worked out in which Pakistan is given a role in the programme — which should also help minimise civilian casualties — in exchange for a promise not to disrupt strikes that target known militants. But as long as drone attacks remain a bone of contention between the two governments, continuing them only makes it harder to move forward with negotiations and gives Pakistani hardliners reason not to support a rapprochement and to incite already inflamed anti-Americanism. This isn’t just a matter of a few hundred people protesting in the streets; it constricts the space available for parliament and the government to talk to the US.

Reports emerging from within the US administration indicate that it is not just Pakistanis who question these attacks. The outgoing ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, appears to have disapproved of the handling of the programme here, and the Western media had earlier reported that the State Department is not as enthusiastic about it as the CIA. And despite reports that President Obama himself approves many targets, in Pakistan drones also seem to hit those simply found in suspicious locations or around known militants. The tool is a deeply controversial one, and proceeding with disregard for Pakistani opinion will only make it more difficult to incorporate it into a functional US-Pakistan relationship.