Back at home, US President Barack Obama has been criticised by his Republican rivals for being too soft on Pakistan in the aftermath of the Salala attack and Pakistan’s accusations. We, in Pakistan, are still waiting for a formal apology. On December 4, more than a week after Nato forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in Mohmand Agency, Obama finally acknowledged the deaths in a phone to his counterpart Asif Zardari. A couple of days before that, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did the same in a conversation with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. In the two phone calls, the US used every word save the one we really wanted to hear. They condoled the deaths and regretted the incident but always stopped short of actually saying sorry for it.
In a way, America’s refusal to apologise is symbolic of the dysfunctional relationship the two countries have. Both sides need each other but do not want to admit it as they feel doing so will make them look weak. The US realises that stability in Afghanistan would be impossible if Pakistan gives up even the pretence of cooperation. As for us, no matter how much we like to tout our independence, we know that we are financially dependent on US aid and so, noisy protests aside, have to grin and bear it whenever our patrons anger us. It is an inherently unstable alliance, where both sides need each other but really wish they didn’t. This is not what lasting partnerships are made of and even if the US and Pakistan manage to weather the fallout from the Nato bombing, the next incident could spell the end.
Indeed, the Nato attack comes on the heels of several incidents that have exposed the hollowness of relations between the two countries. The furor in Pakistan over Raymond Davis and then the killing of Osama bin Laden, showed just how fragile things really are. As long as the US is in Afghanistan, they will try to smooth things over by occasionally sweet-talking us and frequently lecturing us, both in public and private. Once they begin withdrawing their troops from the region, as Obama has pledged to do from next year, all bets are off. Right now we are waiting for an apology we will never get. Soon, we may end up getting a rerun of the Clinton years when Pakistan was no longer useful and even expressions of regret were more than what the US felt we deserved.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2011.
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An apology has two parts: there's the "I'm sorry" for the action, and then there's the promise not to do it again. Let's assume we do receive one from the U.S.; what's that going to achieve? It will be meaningless because it's not like they actually feel regret...what's the saying? All's fair in love and war?