TOKYO: After a bad patch in their roller-coaster relationship, Pakistan and the United States have started warming up to each other at last.
They have agreed to bury the bitterness of the past seven months caused by a deadly Nato air raid on a Pakistani border post and subsequent punitive actions by Islamabad.
“The two countries are putting past tensions behind them to focus on the future,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters after a meeting with her Pakistani counterpart, Hina Rabbani Khar, on the fringes of a day-long conference in Tokyo.
Khar agreed with Clinton: “The deadlock between our two countries has ended and we are now heading in the right direction.”
It was the first one-on-one interaction between the two top diplomats following an ‘apology’ from Secretary Clinton led to the reopening of the Nato transit routes by Islamabad.
Clinton said that she had ‘a broad-ranging discussion’ with Foreign Minister Khar on some of the issues surrounding the reopening of Nato supply lines.
“We are both encouraged that we have been able to put the recent difficulties behind us so we can focus on the many challenges ahead,” she said.
She acknowledged that ties between the two wary allies would still be tested in the future. But the two countries aimed to use the ‘positive momentum generated’ by last week’s deal to move forward on many of the challenges still facing them, Clinton said.
She stressed that her talks with Khar “focused on the necessity of defeating the terror networks that threaten the stability of Pakistan and Afghanistan” as well as reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan.
“We also discussed economic support and the goal of moving towards more trade then aid as part of our economic relationship,” Clinton said.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of follow-up work that has to be done. I’ve said a number of times that this is a challenging and essential relationship. It remains so,” Clinton added.
“I have no reason to believe that it will not continue to raise hard questions for us both, but it is something I think is in the interests of the United States as well as Pakistan,” the top US diplomat said.
Foreign Minister Khar said that she was encouraged by the US response to Pakistan’s concerns on ‘contentious’ issues between the two countries.
“Pakistan looks forward to settling all outstanding issues with the US through negotiations and Washington has given a positive gesture in this regard,” she added.
In particular, she spoke about the controversial US drone campaign in Pakistan’s tribal regions. “These attacks prove counter-productive besides hurting the efforts to sink differences between the two countries,” she said.
Other meetings
Apart from her interaction with Secretary Clinton, Foreign Minister Khar also met with her Indian counterpart, SM Krishna.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, she called for initiatives from both sides for bridging the gulf between the two peoples which, she believed, would help improve their bilateral relations.
Pakistan has taken several measures, including trade concessions for New Delhi, in order to normalise relations with India, she said. Khar urged India to reciprocate to Pakistan’s ‘positive gestures’ — hinting at the longstanding issues of Sir Creek and Siachen. Separately, Khar met with her Japanese counterpart, Koichiro Gemba.
After their bilateral talks, Clinton and Khar both met Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasul. The three issued a statement that emphasised their desire for militants to surrender their arms and enter reconciliation talks with the Afghan government.
(WITH ADITIONAL INPUT FROM AFP, REUTERS)
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2012.
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Trade relations between India Pakistan and the United States is good gesture,It is a better treatment of inflicted economy.
Come on, let think, whether we as a nation can live without American Aid??????????
What is the meanings of ''focus'' Focus mean ''do more'' Focus mean,military action from Pakistan against Hqqani net work, Now Pakistan would be compelled to proceed with.
Washington believe,there are safe havens of extremists in Pakistan Pakistan must finish it ,that is focus.
Protest has begun against reopening of over land supply routes which may expected convert into agitation.
Government has come into closed street,all the corners has been occupied by the forces, Supreme court insisting on the latter to the Swiss authorities,Religious parties are on protest against over land communications ,power short fall has brought the government to a tremendous unpopularity.falling down economy of the country has also become a serious concerned for security of the country.
We should all pray to God for Hiss blessing.
According to the home and abroad media, broad ranging negotiation was held,all the matters were discussed with detail excluding drones attacks through which sovereignty of a independent state is violated,dangerous jock they are making.,we need new options ,they are not dependable.
The way, leading to their interests called bright direction.
Pakistan has no another choice except to the resent one.There is a lot of difference in Apology and sypathetic consideration.
Did they really apologised? There is alot of difference between sympathetic consideration and apolology.
Only AmericA is terrorising the world, period.
To put all bitterness behind, US will have to be exceptionally daft. The political leadership has gone against the advice of pentagon in giving a half sorry (sharing the mistake). It will pretend to be trusting Pakistan till it pulls out. True change in relations will only happen if there is true change in Pakistan's outlook towards Taliban and terror as state policy. That's not in sight.
Unlike the cold war, the problem is not between the governments of the two countries. The problem is that Pakistani society has become so radicalized that the status of the government to government relationship has no effect on the anti-american sentiments of the two thirds of the population who consider America an enemy. Fueled by gulf oil money, radical religious education and the agendas of certain segments of the Pakistani military and media, hatred of America, and Americans, is well entrenched and unlikely to dissipate anytime soon, regardless of policies, aid, trade, etc. The concept of America as the foreign enemy to be blamed for all of Pakistan's ills is simply to useful to be disgarded. Change will not come for several generations, at which time, hopefully, Pakistani society rejects the dead end of religious extremism and intolerance and undergoes a cultural reformation.
The best friendship we may offer is to destroy terrorism all together from its roots and both countries forces should take part within Pakistan territory (while shedding our false ego). Release Dr. Afridi and award him with the highest civilian honor to acknowledge that we are not supporting terrorists in our country.
Burying the past is editorial overreach. The past is neither buried nor forgotten. Ms Clinton talks of moving ahead angrittily focusses on eliminating terror networks.
What about the burried sons of mother and our beloved Pakistan
what else choice does pakistan have.....??????????