IT sounds pretty strange that President Zardari should have taken so long to realise that the US-led forces were losing the war in Afghanistan. Even an ordinary person, with some idea of the Afghan sense of independence and honour and defiance of outside intrusion, could have told him so, right when the American foolhardiness was venturing into the country in 2001. If military ruler Musharraf did not deem it necessary to consult anyone before jumping on the doomed bandwagon, Mr Zardari, as a politician, should have known better. He cannot afford to ignore expert opinion and the widespread public sentiment for renouncing the war on the Afghan people. The question also is that if he has now been able to perceive the approaching defeat, what compels him to continue sticking to the losing side. He is witness to the surge in terrorist acts in the country as a consequence of our involvement in the war and the harm they have done to the national interest. Besides, he is being persistently warned by mature political analysts that it is time to build bridges with the Afghan people across the board and not reinforce their enmity by continuing to support their enemies. Mr Zardari expressed this view of defeat of the US-led forces while giving an interview to Le Monde, the French daily. The President is on a visit to Europe and has been rightly criticised for not calling off his trip to Britain in protest against Prime Minister Camerons accusatory remarks against Pakistan. Mr Cameron had bluntly charged Islamabad with exporting terrorism in disregard of the sacrifices we had made in the fight against it. He added insult to injury by doing so while in India. His anxiety to please the Indians must have made him blind to the sensitivities of Pakistanis; he preferred to strike a lucrative business deal. He has remained adamant since. Mr Zardaris view that he would take up the issue face to face with Mr Cameron in the hope, perhaps, that he would change his mind, only showed his naivet. The visit, called a European joyride for it has no official objective on the agenda and is only designed to launch Bilawal into politics, has come in for flak for another highly important reason as well. Calamity in the shape of torrential rains and unprecedented floods has hit a large swathe of the country, hundreds have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced and the head of the country is out to have a look at his chteau and call on a British leader who has humiliated his country. Nothing could be more disgraceful and nothing could be more negligent of duty