LAHORE - If our rulers, including the military top brass, continued to behave the way they have been over the recent past, God forbid Pakistan would soon be confronted with the most dangerous of situations. Though the meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) and its outcome has proved beyond any shred of doubt that we are acting subservient to the Capitol Hill, yet its no harm in trying to infuse some sense in the powers-that-be. Chief of the American Armed Forces General Mike Mullen has arrived in Islamabad while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is arriving today (Friday). Their hosts must avail of the opportunity to do pep talk and tell them in plain words what Pakistan can and what it cannot do. Being handmaiden to them would serve no purpose, at least for our national interest; it may well for the vested interests. The guests must also be apprised of anti-American sentiment touching new peaks in Pakistan owing to their unilateral polities. The Americans have long been forcing our Armed Forces to launch an operation in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) to eliminate terrorists hiding in the mountainous terrain, as the West proclaims. As for the DCC meeting, it appeared as if the meeting was not of a Pakistani organ but a sister organisation of the Pentagon because the most salient feature of its proceedings and the subsequent decision was to launch preemptive strikes, a term coined and misused by the Americans in the first place. Some may perceive the decision as a bid to make a bad situation worse. According to an analysis, the US is seeking action against militants who have taken refuge in NWA after being pushed out of the Pak-Afghan border areas as a result of pounding by NATO and ISAAF troops and successful Pakistani Armed Forces operation in South Waziristan Agency. For some time, the Pakistan military leadership successfully resisted pressure from the US and Western European countries to start operation in NWA on the constraint that our troops needed breathing time after having suffered heavy losses in terms of human resources. We also heard from Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that local tribal elders would be consulted and persuaded to oust all activists belonging to outlawed outfits. The irony is that instead of appreciating the Pakistan Armed Forces sacrifices, the Pentagon and the US administration started exerting the 'do more pressure. The refrain is still continuing. As we should not implement the American agenda, the DCC should have instead reviewed the real threats to our national security. The government and security forces are advised not to demonstrate haste in launching an operation in NWA. A holistic view of external threats to our national security needs to be taken first to have a strategy in place for the worst case scenario in case events spiral out of control. The events of Abbottabad followed by Mehran Naval Base are regarded by defence experts as dress rehearsals to deprive Pakistan of nuclear assets. A recent statement by NATO chief in Afghanistan is a pointer to their real objectives. He did not mince words while saying that despite the fact Pakistani nukes are well protected, yet they are a source of concern. What does it mean? In a scenario where the Americans are unwilling to accept any logic, whether presented in the form of a parliamentary resolution to stop drone attacks, why should we try to be more loyal to the king than the king himself, and shoot us in the foot? Pakistan objected to President Obamas offer of civil nuclear cooperation to India. Did the US pay any heed? Contrary to our serious reservations against granting New Delhi the status of a nuclear power, they also allowed India to buy any hi-tech equipment from the open market. Our leadership is so helpless that it has fallen prey to the American conspiracy of keeping us away from the Iranian gas pipeline project that alone could have resolved our energy crises. It is about time that our political and military leadership put their heads together and first of all determine what our national interest is. Serving American interest like a client state would take us nowhere. The people are perturbed and apprehensive. They have long lost faith in our political leadership considering it impotent and handmaiden to their foreign masters. The people are at the verge of losing faith in the military leadership as well if decisions are taken against national interest. Following the Abbottabad and Mehran Base tragedies, the uniformed leadership also is fast falling from grace in the eyes of the public. The Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals should think of being answerable to the general public which has always graced them with admiration. This time around, if they fail in delivering, there will be no forgiveness. Must they bear in mind the fate of the Yemeni and the Egyptian rulers. Wrong decisions would only hasten a similar episode on our land.