Pakistan is an active member of the UN, the NAM and the Commonwealth. It is a founding member of the OIC, the ECO and the SAARC. Its foreign policy encompasses historically turbulent relations with India, long-standing close ties with China, a desire for a stable Afghanistan, extensive security and economic interests in the Persian Gulf, and wide-ranging bilateral relations with the United States and other Western countries. It is a frontline state in the war against terror, which has bent backwards to play an effective role in rooting out terrorism in Pakistan. It has deployed more than 100,000 troops along the boundaries with Afghanistan, has sacrificed more soldiers than it lost in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak Wars, yet it has to suffer the ignominy of listening to sermons of "Do more" from its western allies. Columnist Khalid Hasan, in his Op-Ed Open season on Pakistan, Hallelujah says: "This may not be open season on ducks and drakes but it is on Pakistan. The onslaught has been unremitting. The refrain of this orchestrated song is just four words: Pakistan should do more." Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta says: "Pakistan needs to do more to stop terrorist groups from crossing its border and launching attacks against Afghan civilians and US-led coalition troops." He insists that terrorists fighting inside Afghanistan are trained and financed abroad, and then are coming across the border from Pakistan to launch attacks. Now examine this International Herald Tribune story, "Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced trip to Pakistan to deliver what officials in Washington described as an unusually tough message to General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his forces become far more aggressive in hunting down operatives with Al-Qaeda." The UN, not to be left behind, has jumped into the fray. "Pakistan should do more to restrict the activities of Taliban leaders in and around the border area with Afghanistan in keeping with a United Nations resolution that considers its leaders to be terrorists, the deputy chief of the United Nations mission, Chris Alexander, who has been the Canadian Ambassador in Afghanistan said here on Monday." The above quotes amply demonstrate that the West is into a blame game to hide its own failures and shortcomings in Afghanistan and is trying to make Pakistan a scapegoat. Pakistan has lost its seasoned political leader Ms Benazir Bhutto and scores of civilians and armed forces personnel in the war against terror, how can it remain unmindful of the concerns and dangers to its own population, leadership and people. It is indeed doing more than its own capacity. Then why the blame game; is it about money? According to the New York Times story of December 24, 2007, US officials see waste in billions sent to Pakistan, US $5.4 billion was provided through a program known as Coalition Support Funds, which reimburses Pakistan for conducting military operations to fight terrorism. Under a separate program, Pakistan received $300 million per year in traditional American military financing that pays for equipment and training. Also included in that larger amount is $1.9 billion in security assistance, which Pakistan has used in part to buy new radios for troops, night-vision goggles and refurbished Cobra attack helicopters. According to Congressional Research Services Report to Congress RL33498 of August 24, 2007, Pakistan-US Relations, $10 billion was provided as aid to Pakistan since 2002, comprising: $2.3 billion as direct economic aid (earthquake relief, development assistance, etc); $1.5 billion as security related aid (government-to-government arms sales, etc); $5.9 billion as coalition support funds (e.g., reimbursement for basing, refuelling, over-flight, etc) Of that, $2.4 billion was expended in 2002/2003 in support of initial Afghan operations. The "Do More Syndrome" has become a clich and should be examined in light of ground realities. It is a matter of perceptions and should not be seen through the prism of the west but through the local anguish and distress it has caused the people of the region. The west should take cognisance of their wretchedness and contribute towards a lasting solution to their heartrending predicament rather than playing the blame game. The Secretary General of NATO, Mr Jaap De Hoop Scheffer has suggested a more positive way of phrasing it in the following words: " Let us all do more than we have done up till now." This should be directed at eliminating the root causes of terrorism i.e. poverty, hunger, disease and deprivation.