US-Pakistan relations

Khadim Hussain is a coordinator at the Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy in Islamabad, a think tank that studies terrorism and regional cooperation.

Deutsche Welle: Tension has been high between the US and Pakistan for some time now, especially heightened by the case of Raymond Davis, a US contractor who was embroiled in a murder cased in Pakistan. Could the bin Laden affair end up being the tipping point for US-Pakistani relations?

Khadim Hussain: I think the deficit in trust started long before the event of bin Laden being found in Pakistan. There have been a lot of questions from different quarters in the US, and in Pakistan and Afghanistan, questioning the very genuineness, honesty and sincerity of Pakistan’s alliance in the war against terrorism. I think this was the last straw that broke the camel’s back and I think this has definitely affected US-Pakistan relations in a very bad manner.

Because of the bin Laden affair, the Pakistani security forces, the military and also the government have faced criticism from abroad. Is the Pakistani population also questioning the authorities?

The Pakistani population is especially questioning the military and intelligence leadership of Pakistan. Firstly, wasn’t Pakistan clear about whether they are fighting a war against militancy, extremism and terrorism in this part of the world? Is it harboring groups of militants to be used as strategic allies, especially inside Afghanistan and India?

The second question has been posed not only by the population but also certain political parties. They are wondering why Pakistan was not able to detect the two helicopters used in the raid. They also failed to identify who was hiding in Abbottabad, only a few yards away from a military academy. The military has used taxpayers’ money since Pakistan’s inception, so why haven’t they been able to develop the kind of technology to at least detect who is crossing Pakistan’s border. The Pakistani population is now thinking that probably all the money for the military was wasted.

Pakistan’s parliament has condemned the raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad and called for a review of US-Pakistan relations. Would a discontinuation of official ties between the US and Pakistan be in Islamabad’s interest?

I think Pakistan is in no position either economically or politically to pick a fight with a technologically-advanced country, which is supported by the rest of the world, especially Europe. Pakistan does need to raise certain questions in respect to its sovereignty and the sanctity of its borders, but it should not be carried to the extent that conflict actually arises. The Pakistani leadership - both political and military - should try to make the US-Pakistani relationship more interest-based. If Islamabad cuts off the relationship, Pakistan will get into a deep crisis.

How can the Pakistani government convince the US that it is a real ally in the fight against militancy?

The Pakistani government and military leadership can take three immediate steps. Firstly, the Pakistani military should crack down on all terror networks that have been hiding in Pakistan, cut their supply lines and dismantle their centers. Two, the intelligence agency should try its best to find Taliban leader Mullah Omar who’s been hiding in Pakistan, and either bring him to court or to book him for the crimes he’s responsible for inside and outside of Afghanistan. If the Pakistani intelligence agencies cannot find him here in Pakistan and some other intelligence agency succeeds it will really be a big debacle for Pakistan.

Lastly, Pakistan’s military leadership should genuinely pledge to work under and be subservient to the parliamentary leadership. So far, the military leadership has defied the elected parliament as far as its security and foreign policy is concerned. I think both security and foreign policy should come under the elected parliament of Pakistan. If this happens, the perception of duplicity will be over because the civilian leadership in Pakistan seems to be quite intent on militancy, extremism and terrorism.

Interview: Ziphora Robina
Editor: Anne Thomas