The US invasion of foreign countries on the flimsiest pretext - Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan et al - and withdrawal subsequently is like the victory joint an American soldier lights up after killing women and children: it starts with fire and ends in smoke, leaving behind nothing but ashes. Your lead editorial on May 21 titled 'Incoherent policy' was right. Your words "The greatest crime the US committed was to turn its back on Pakistan once the Soviets had withdrawn, leaving it to deal with thousands of local and foreign battle-hardened militants as it deemed fit" should be a real eye-opener for the incoherent Pakistani leadership. This time when the US withdraws from Afghanistan, if it ever does, it will leave behind a nuclear powerless Pakistan at the mercy of India's political, social and military hegemony. -BARRISTER BAACHAA, Peshawar, via e-mail, May 21.