Americans need to support Pakistan in rejuvenating its economy and addressing our concerns regarding Indian footprints
LAHORE: This is with reference to the article by Raza Rumi “Can we end our doublespeak on America?” (October 28). The writer has very conveniently laid all the blame on Pakistan for the existing mistrust between Pakistan and America. While the writer is right to the extent that anti-Americanism is used as a tool by politicians and the security establishment to dupe the public, but he fails to point out the mistakes committed by America in the past and its current high-handedness. Under the Symington Amendment (1979), economic assistance to Pakistan was cut off; however, the same amendment was repealed when America required help from Pakistan in waging a proxy war in Afghanistan. This resulted in mushrooming of madrassas, which are now termed breeding grounds for terrorists. As soon as the Soviet Union disintegrated, America passed the Pressler Amendment (1990) and the so-called strategic partnership came to a sudden halt.
Pakistan still remembers this carrot-and-stick policy and that is why, it does not want to place all its eggs in one basket. Therefore, it supports some of the Taliban groups in Afghanistan so that it can have leverage in Afghanistan after the American withdrawal. In order to build a genuine strategic partnership, meaningful steps need to be taken from both sides. On our side, politicians and the establishment need to be more transparent in dealing with America and an honest picture should be presented to the public. The Americans need to support Pakistan in rejuvenating its economy and addressing our concerns regarding Indian footprints in Afghanistan.
Omer Butt
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2013.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
