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Pakistan calls again for NATO strike apology
Khar rejects reports that Pakistan is haggling with US over transit fees. Says terrible job at working together.
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar arrives for a news conference in Kabul June 14, 2012. PHOTO: REUTERS
KABUL: Pakistan on Thursday called again for an apology for a NATO cross-border strike that killed two dozen of its soldiers last year before it considers reopening supply routes to foreign troops in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaking to reporters in the Afghan capital Kabul, also rejected reports that Pakistan was haggling with the United States over transportation fees for the supplies.
“Pakistan still wants an unconditional apology and the reassurance that the Salala type of incident does not happen again,” she said, referring to the border area where the incident took place.
The supply lines for goods shipped to Karachi and trucked to Afghanistan have been vital for US-led forces in their involvement in the landlocked country, a conflict now in its eleventh year.
Now, the routes are seen as important for the withdrawal of most foreign troops from Afghanistan before the end of 2014.
The United States has rebuffed Pakistan’s demands for an apology for the air strike in November and last week Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said the United States was at the limits of its patience over the existence of safe havens for militants in Pakistan who were carrying out attacks in Afghanistan.
Khar said Pakistan was not supporting any militant group and that it was doing whatever it could to advance the peace process in Afghanistan which she said must be “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned.”
‘Terrible job’ on working together
Khar on Thursday accused governments of doing a “terrible job” at working together to tackle militancy in Afghanistan as she called for a more unified approach.
Khar made the remarks on the sidelines of a ministerial conference in Kabul aimed at building greater regional cooperation on Afghanistan and its future beyond the pullout of NATO forces in 2014.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says peace depends on regional cooperation to smash sanctuaries for militant networks waging violence in his country, and in his opening remarks to the conference urged Pakistan to support the peace process.
Pakistan was the Taliban’s chief diplomatic backer when the regime was in power in Afghanistan, and is accused by both Kabul and Washington of continuing to play a double game in supporting the insurgency despite its official US alliance.
Khar reiterated Pakistan’s stance that it has suffered enormously as a result of terrorism, and said a more united front was needed among international allies.
“We have been making the claim that we need to all work together to ensure that we win against them rather than they win against us,” she told reporters.
“At this point in time, if there is a policy of divide and rule they are doing a great job at it and we are doing a terrible job at combining our energy, our forces, our resources to be able to face them as one.”
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Pakistan last week that the US was running out of patience over Islamabad’s refusal to do more to eliminate hiding places for insurgents, who attack US troops fighting the 10-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Khar responded on Thursday by saying she was “glad we are not losing patience with anyone, despite losing 24 soldiers”.
She was referring to NATO air strikes on a Pakistani border post in November which killed 24 troops and led to Islamabad closing the ground routes through its territory used to supply coalition forces in Afghanistan.
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Reader Comments (40)
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The US is too petty minded and arrogant to make an apology.
PRIDE COMES BEFORE A FALL: symptomatic of a super-power whose powers are in decline.
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lady finish it – before it is too late………………. how pak. depended on u.s.!
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Same old record, same old tune !!! Is an apology going to feed or provide any assistance to Pakistan and its economy????
If not, than why all this drama and charade ?
Can the Govt not see, that no one is really taking them seriously on the Global Stage?
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@Hedgefunder:
they dont care what u suggest or whatever you say, they have got plans and mind too
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The US only apologizes if they make Shah Rukh Khan waiting for over 2 hours at the airport.
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seriously ! you cant beg for apology..An apology is something when someone made a mistake and genuinely felt bad about it and express it… You cant pull the world out of someone’s mouth
If they dont like to apology, then they dont feel bad about the incident..so no matter how hard you try, you cant change that attitude..so stop ..Recommend
Well the problem started when drone killed 40 Pakistani elders in tribal area.
Then there was CIA contractor arming and funding TTP like Raymond Davis.
Then fake drama of OBL which unbeknownst to me why Pakistan decided to play along with.
Then there was Pakistani business man/CIA asset along with Ambassador of US in Pakistan Hussain Haqqani tried to pull a regime change with Mullen.
Salala attack
I think there is more to it then an apology. Highly doubtful if jawans in army and common man would accept NATO supplies passing through their country. Government and generals are between rock and hard place. One side there is shine of the dollars and other side patience depleted jawans and common man.
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Bravo Pakistan, the way you guys have been dealing with arrogant US, i salute you Pakistan, No nation have done like this, you have broken their arrogance, almost. Pakistan have really played their card well, no matter whatever the pressure US was putting on Pakistan, it was back firing. So US just bite the bullet…. Oooo..YeaH….Pakistan Zindabad. Pak-China Friendship Zindabad.
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American’s make apologies all the time so maybe it’s time for Pakistani’s to ask why America isn’t making one this time? The American military has already admitted that it made mistakes but has been adamant that Pakistan soldiers fired first — a reasonable assumption given prior incidents of cross border fire. I would also point out that the American’s took the time to perform a review of the incident before making any announcement — they even invited Pakistan to participate. Pakistan on the other hand made their conclusions within a few hours and even assigned a ridiculous motive for why the Americans’ intentionally attacked a remote outpost with no strategic or tactical value. Your handling of this tragedy has been amateurish which is one of the reasons that you have no international support on this matter.
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@ Oracle (India): We are not begging, but arrogant US administration is begging for opening the route, in reply we don’t beg but we place a condition for an apology and assure us that salala kind incident does not happen again. US intentions were not good so that’s why they were not apologizing, they have provoked us to retaliate time after time, but enough was enough, we had to take the first step of retaliation i-e cut the supply line and we did. They wanted to corner us but sorry things are going the opposite way, they don’t know what to do. My advice is start reading International Politics neighbor. Recommend
Is it the “apology” or the pressure from the Right Wing that keeps GOP from relenting.
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One issue foreign policy on Kashmir got Pakistan in so much trouble in last 60plus years. Pakistan is repeating this mistake with other countries like US. Not too long ago Raymond Davis is prime example. One way to move forward is to claim that NATO route was blocked for 24 days one day for each soldier and its time to move forward. No one offered appology to soldiers, victims of Siachen. Is the soldier killed by foreign hnd are of higher value than those who get killed by TTP or whatever. The reality is all soldiers die in the line of duty for their nation. US does not differentiate between soldiers death in Iraq vs in Afghanistan or in Germany or in Japan. Why Pakistan is differentiating one kind of death vs other.
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@Oracle (India):
its not a personal apology. its an apology of country for wrong doing of its few soldiers. its important for next time, they ll know that if they do this…. their president will have to apologies
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Without an iota of doubt we are distracted nation. See we are seeking an apology for killing of handful army personnel but yet we are a maintaining a criminal silence for killings of innocent civilians in tribal areas.
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Patriotic Pakistanis, have you considered asking the Taliban terrorists for apologies for continued attacks on your soldiers and your civilian population? Think about it, is it a matter of pride to be part of a crowd that cheers when terrorists attack your women and children in buses and in bazaars?
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@Californian:
TTP aren’t our allies from whom we expect an apology. whereas Pakistan is a major non NATO ally.
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@Adnan:
Isn’t like “the pot calling kettle balck”? Pakistan is the most arrogant, bankrupt country in the universe.
When you start opearting under the premise of “strength of the country is not based on what it can borrow but based on what it can do”; others may listen.
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At this stage, even if an apology is given it will be hallow but Pakistan will accept it. A no win case for Pakistan.
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If US apologizes it will accept it as a mistake – and will not repeat a similar incident; US wants to keep her options open for future action, therefore no apology.
In Afghanistan, when civilian targets are hit & an apology made its then followed by changes to Rules-of-Engagement, there is a method to the madness :(
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@Zeta: Your statement is not correct. ET had an article today: http://tribune.com.pk/story/393350/poetic-militancy-what-were-once-popular-ringtones-are-no-longer-in-demand/
‘“When the TTP emerged in Pakistan, these cassettes came to the market from Peshawar, Quetta and Swat and flourished. These cassettes and CDs were recorded by new and unknown music centres at first but then almost every music centre started making their copies’.
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I honestly think that she is beating the death horse. Recommend
@Californian: TTP is a terrorist organization, so why do you think a terrorist organisation will apologize? you mean to say that US should not apologize for the killings, so then if this is the case then there is no difference between TTP and US, it means they are on the same side, just kill and then don’t apologize. You have made it very simple for everyone, US and TTP are the same, US themselves are also killing. WOW. Thank you man for exposing your country all by yourself.Recommend
Pakistan should withstand its demand of formal apology.If there is a way forward it moves through this apology. The nation stands with our men in uniforms defending their motherland. Pakistan should get out of this so called war as we cant afford any more loss of life and our badly affected economy.
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“Pakistan on the other hand made their conclusions within a few hours and even assigned a ridiculous motive -”
@Cautious: that’s the point, to have the U.S. endorse such behavior rather than oppose it. Apologizing at this stage would be to admit that the Pakistani leadership is entitled to make people believe whatever they want and that Pakistan, on its border if not in Afghanistan itself, is entitled to do whatever it wants.
Just say “no”.
“The nation stands with our men in uniforms defending their motherland.”
@abc: you know, don’t you, that the Talibs NATO was aiming at wear Pakistani uniforms? That the only way for NATO to tell the difference is when the Pakistani Army liason checks with his superiors and tells the Americans which are which?
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This whole episode about insisting, demanding and now begging an apology is a joke. No one cares a damn about Pakistan — whether in America, China or Europe — and it is pathetic to see you people wallow in self pity and, at the same time, arrogance. Grow up, people, and live in the present century. Whatever is happening in your country today is of your own making; however, you love blaming the whole world except yourselves.
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With the presidential election later this year, it would be very difficult for Obama administration to offer an apology. The Republicans will make full use of it in the campaign.
Another intriguing fact in this whole apology thing – why doesn’t the Pakistani govt. insist that all the NATO member countries apologize? After all it was the NATO forces that was involved in the Salala incident and not just the US.
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Open it… #MediaGate is a lot more fun ;)
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Pakistan is way over its head on this one. It is never a good idea to bite the hand that feeds you. Pakistan should apologize to the US for giving Bin Laden safe haven in its army barracks. Especially when Musharraf was going around for years saying Bin Laden was in Afghanistan anytime he was asked about the matter. The jig is up Pakistan the world is on to you. Have fun losing future aid and becoming a complete failed state.
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Hina Rabbani Khar is simply a mouthpiece, she says what she is told to. The question is when will our great military minds realise that this approach is not going anywhere. The mistake they made was by not agreeing to a joint commission on the Salala affair in the first place. Now we have two versions which don’t agree with each other. Emotion has no place in foreign affairs between two states.
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I cannot take this anymore. Pakistan has stooped so low that it keeps begging for an apology. Indian Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna, who is in the USA should intervene and request USA to offer an apology to Pakistan, We cannot bear to see this inhumane form of begging.
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@a_writer
That’s a problem for the Americans to solve – Elections or No Elections – An apology is due / plus full proof assurances that such action will not be repeated in future – The attack was against UNSC mandate set for ISAF :(
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@Gahratmand:
What I meant was – if at all there will be an apology, it won’t be before 2013, after the election. If Obama doesn’t win, there will never be an apology, because Mr.Romney is not going to start his presidency with an apology.If Obama does win, he is not going to start his second term with an apology either, at least not till late into 2013, if at all.
Assuming it does cost the US 100M$ per month – that is 1.2B$ per year. For 2 more years till 2014, that is roughly 3.6B$ ( including part of 2012 costs). Does the Govt. of Pakistan have any idea of the size of the US economy, even in these troubled times? 3.6B$ is not even a fraction a drop in a bucket for the US.
Bottom line – Pakistan will lose in this game of dare. Most probably US would not emotionally retaliate. For the US, Pakistan is like a terrible mother-in-law; can’t disown her and can’t live with her either.
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@Zeta:
You are not serious about PAK being an ally of NATO?
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“Khar responded on Thursday by saying she was “glad we are not losing patience with anyone, despite losing 24 soldiers”.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Is this the way a Foreign Minister talks?
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Keep attempting to bite the US, be worried when US bites back
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US should only apologize if it felt it never intends to fire upon Pakistani soldiers again. But, US apparently needs to have the choice of striking at Pakistan open. Besides, an US president hasn’t apologized for nuking Japan and killing lakhs of people. Why would he apologize for the killing of a few soldiers?
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May be this is the first time in history someone is repeatedly begging for an apology!
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Try to understand miss Khar,
Obama is not entitled to extend apology for an inter national team operating Drones from a base at Nevada which includes young scientists from India, Pakistan and rest of the world . Better ask for BLOOD MONEY as per Shariya and not for apology and open the route as a sign of unconditional support to war against terrorism and fanatics .
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Apology will not bring back the lives of the 24 soldiers and he happiness of their families.
Stop this political manoeuvre! Close NATO supplies forever, if you can take a real principled stand, otherwise stop fooling us. I dont think you will be here after the next elections anyways!
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@Moise:
Please supply proof or reference to support wild conspiracy theory that “CIA contractor arming and funding TTP like Raymond Davis”! ALSO, you appear to say that OBL was not found in an ISI safe house in Abbotabad! ( by the way, what ever happened to that “Abottabad Commission” we all heard about???) Pakistanis have made “blaming others” for all the ills of Pakistan a national sport!
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