It is with great apprehension that The Washington Post states in one of its reports that the US and Pakistan have reached an impasse over major irritants. What is even more alarming is that it gives the impression that there is probably no way out of the stalemate. However, the issues that the paper mentions are the same old ones; apology for Salalah incident, reopening of Nato supply lines, and Pakistan’s demand for a halt to the drone warfare. The report also has expressed alarm about the departure of a US team of negotiators that had come to settle the goods embargo issue with Islamabad. Citing sources within the US Administration, the paper mentions that there is not much hope that President Obama would tender an apology.
Pakistan has been a front line ally of the US during a decade long war and its sacrifices are not in doubt. Now that the US is in the process of pulling out of the war zone, there is greater need for the partnership to sustain and strengthen. It would only be silly to let these irritants spoil the friendship. President Obama is facing an election at home and his worries are understandable but so are that of our government which is also under severe pressure from the public that wants the US to stop treating Pakistan as its errand boy. The US needs Pakistan because in the years to come, Afghanistan’s importance to the world peace will remain crucial. An appreciation of Islamabad’s efforts for maintaining peace and stability necessitate an early resolution of the prevailing deadlock.