Pak-US bonhomie

Photographs speak a thousand words. And those of the simpering US secretary of state Hillary Clinton with Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi spoke volumes of the new relationship being brought on a strategic footing between US and Pakistan. The lady was in giggles as Qureshi played his role of the macho man to the hilt, looking deep into her eyes and touching heads as they seemed to have forgotten the cameras. Or at least she had.


One can almost visualise the Pakistan delegation congratulating their foreign minister later, hearty thumps on the back for his success with Clinton. In a world where diplomacy is now getting increasingly hinged on chemistry, this can go a long way for Pakistan seeking US support in all its strategic planning for the region. After all it is not often that one sees women ministers across the world reacting to male dignitaries in this amazing unprofessional manner.

Qureshi was of course, the front for the Pakistan delegation. The smart boy delegated to smile and answer questions and keep everyone happy, while the two generals — army chief Kayani and ISI chief Pasha — did the substantive work. Both are camera shy, particularly Kayani who is now well regarded in the US establishment as a sober general who can deliver.

That is a reputation that he and Pakistan are cashing in on really, as Kayani managed to get the Pakistan army back in US favour after a disastrous spell with former president Pervez Musharraf. Even though there are many in Washington and indeed other parts of the world who still believe that Pakistan is playing games with the war on terror, there is a certain grudging recognition now that the Pakistan army has proved its worth in areas like Swat. Some big names have been arrested, even though the bigger leaders still remain protected but then this seems to now be with some level of US concurrence as these can prove to be important bargaining chips for the final installation of a relatively friendly government in Kabul.

Qureshi and even Pakistan Prime Minister Geelani are the faces that the army is now increasingly using to consolidate its hold over even the so-called civilian apparatus in the country. President Asif Ali Zardari has been marginalised, and his silence in recent weeks confirms whispers that he has been told to speak only when asked to, if he wants to retain the presidency. The prime minister and the foreign minister are doing the army’s bidding with both good at using totally undiplomatic language when it comes to India, even as they bow and smile while visiting Washington or Beijing. Kayani still remains the mysterious figure, the general from humble origins who never made it to the chattering circles of Islamabad until he became the army chief. Even now, reports suggest, he keeps away preferring to stay in the cantonment rather than break bread (he smokes but does not drink) with the fashionable ruling elite of Pakistan.

The talks in Washington were clearly to formulate a vision for the future, and strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The nuclear deal was on the agenda as a pressure point, to needle India and to use for driving a hard bargain with Washington. Informed Pakistanis did not believe that there was any real seriousness on this issue, although it has now been placed on the agenda for US consideration. For this visit, the two governments worked on Afghanistan, present and future with surveillance technology, hardware, etc, being part of the entire package. The US might not have revealed all of its plans, but reports clearly suggest that Pakistan is more in the loop here than other governments in the region. Both Islamabad and Washington share a common strategic goal: exit of the US military from Afghanistan with a friendly government in place. Friendly for both, with Pakistan now insisting that it be given the caretaker role and the US still determining to what extent it can fine tune this without regretting the decision at some point in the future. Of course, there are no two views that the Americans will not make the mistake they did earlier by leaving Afghanistan entirely to Pakistan and withdrawing from the country altogether. Their presence will be very much visible, but so might be that of Pakistan.

The terror attacks on Indian targets in Afghanistan have been more of a setback than the government here would like to admit. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has not been able to assure New Delhi of providing sufficient security for Indians engaged in reconstruction and development works across Afghanistan, and the worry and concern here is genuine. Many Indians have returned, and the government is aware that it cannot compel volunteers to risk their lives. This is leading to an automatic scaling down of operations there, with New Delhi now looking at the western backed Pakistan proposal of installing a ‘good’ Taliban government in Kabul. But as highly placed sources told this columnist while the process of reintegration — where Taliban gave up arms and violence to become part of the political mainstream — was fine with India as it has experience of this at home, the differences really centre around ‘reconciliation’. Reconciliation to what point is the contentious issue, with India having grave reservations about allowing the reintegrated Taliban into government with equal powers and equal authority as other sections. While this is sound logic, it does not seem to have takers in either Pakistan or the US at this point as the first wants to establish authority in Kabul through sections it has control over, and the second is grappling with ground realities that tend to be overwhelming at all times.

All in all a very complicated situation. New Delhi would have done better if the government had explored and responded to regional overtures on the Afghanistan issue, but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was so busy placing all eggs in the US basket that he did not pay attention. Iran, Central Asia, Russia and China all provided moments of opportunity over the past many months, but India’s US-centric tunnel vision ensured that these passed by without even basic consideration. Now the giggling Clinton and the smiling Qureshi making body contact in official appearances are a loud reminder of these missed opportunities.