WASHINGTON, April 18: Mistrust between Pakistan and the United States, which intensified after the weekend’s terrorist attacks in Kabul, may also undermine President Asif Ali Zardari’s expected visit to Chicago next month, diplomatic sources told Dawn.
The sources said that while the Americans still believed that President Zardari’s participation in the Nato summit in Chicago was necessary, they had not yet sent a formal invitation to Islamabad.
“The Americans want Pakistan to reopen Nato supply lines before the summit and this is delaying the invitation to Islamabad,” a source said.
That the US-Pakistan relationship was in trouble also became obvious at a reception Ambassador Sherry Rehman hosted on Tuesday night for a delegation of senior Pakistani military officials who are visiting the US National Defence University in Washington.
“The mistrust is not one-sided as Pakistan too has concerns,” the head of the delegation, Brig Mahmood Sadiq, told the guests, which included half a dozen senior American military officials as well.
He noted that the US decision to invade Osama bin Laden’s compound without consulting Islamabad had hurt the Pakistanis, as did the Nov 26 Nato attack on a military post that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
“The Pakistanis are also asking who is sponsoring terrorism at the state level,” the brigadier said.
While summing up the difference, Ambassador Rehman said: “Pakistan and the United States are engaged in the challenging choreography of reconfiguring the bilateral relationship to make it more transparent and sustainable — with realistic expectations on both sides.”
Her address was Pakistan’s first policy statement in Washington on US-Pakistan relations after parliament approved a set of recommendations last week for rebuilding ties.
She noted that this was “arguably the most critical time” in the history of US-Pakistan relationship. “Various assaults on Pakistani sovereignty and dignity have had a major impact on public opinion in our country,” said the ambassador while referring to the US raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound and the Salala air raid.
She pointed out that Pakistan’s parliament had just concluded an exhaustive review of the bilateral relationship, which “we believe is among the most important in the world and which, we on the Pakistan side, are very keen to maintain and strengthen”.
At the same time, Pakistan wanted this relationship to be grounded in “realistic expectations, respect for each other’s sovereignty, appreciation of each other’s legitimate security interests and understanding of each other’s redlines”, she said. “Both sides need to be aware of each other’s limitations and constraints.”
The Pakistani government, she said, wanted to use the framework parliament had provided as the foundation for “a healthier, more sustainable and mutually cooperative” relationship with the United States.
“For any relationship to be sustainable, both countries must treat each other as partners and respect their core interests,” she said.
The ambassador also noted that the 18-hour long terrorist attack in Kabul on Sunday was also casting its shadow over US-Pakistan relationship.
She reminded the US that President Zardari, the Defence Committee of the Cabinet and Pakistan’s foreign minister had all condemned the attacks and had offered to work jointly to combat terrorism.
“Clearly, the people of Pakistan do not need to be lectured about the dangers of terrorism. We have stood up for our principles with our blood.”
Ambassador Rehman said that while Pakistan had vital stakes in Afghan stability, “we are very clear that Pakistan has no interest in playing favourites in Afghanistan, nor can we treat it as our strategic backyard”.
She emphasised that there could be no military solutions to any conflict in the region, and Afghanistan was no exception.