The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) met on Tuesday and decided long-term and multifaceted relations with the USA would be revived, strictly in the light of the guidelines given by Parliament. The DCC met in Prime Minister’s House with Syed Gilani in the chair, and with federal ministers, the joint chiefs chairman, and the service chiefs attending. Mr Gilani said accurately that the message of Parliament was vivid and clear, that there should be a partnership with the USA, but not at the cost of sovereignty. Parliament has called not just for an apology for the Salalah attack which caused the review, but for an end to the drone attacks which represent the most open, and most frequent, violation of Pakistani sovereignty. However, American officials have insisted that drones will go on, making it apparent that it retains the right to attack Pakistani soil. The accusation on the Haqqani network of the attacks in Kabul is again an easy way to shift blame from the failure of the US forces to a shadowy force which simply will not allow the superpower to succeed. American strategy in Pakistan is built on simple lines of self-interest. This does not include any care for Pakistan and what is good for it. It is American prosperity that is the main concern, not Pakistani.
The government must stick by the DCC decision, and obey Parliament, which has laid down rules to reengage the US keeping in mind Pakistan's national interest. That means not restoring Nato supplies unless the USA fulfills the conditions laid down in the joint sitting’s decision. The USA too should realize that throwing its weight around, and throwing around false accusations so that it can wriggle out of blame for its own failures, will not work. It should concentrate on leaving the region, where it has only been a force for instability.