Pakistan

US, NATO passing the buck to Pakistan: Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Terms of engagement needed to be revisited so that all the partners are on the same page, says Qureshi.

April 13, 2011

On Express 24/7's show Witness with Quatrina, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan and a PPP MNA, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the US and NATO were passing the buck for the failure of strategies in combating the Taliban along the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan and America have been at logger heads over strategy implementation following a recent White House report calling on Pakistan to do more yet again. Pakistan’s ISI chief Lieutenant-general Ahmad Shuja Pasha’s talks with his CIA counterpart, Leon Paneta comes amid calls for scaled down CIA presence and drone strikes.

The program, hosted by Munizhe Jehangir featured Lt General (R) Talat Masood, a senior defence analyst and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra of the PML-N in the studio with former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi joining in via a video uplink from Multan.

Talat Masood pointed out that the reason for a failed strategy implementation was that strategic coherence and clarity that was gaining within Pakistan, was lacking with the Americans. He went on to say that the Americans, in for the short haul, did not recognize the long term strategic interests of Pakistan, and hence were constantly demanding something from the Pakistani side which would be counterproductive to Pakistan’s sovereignty. Raymond Davis showed that it was unacceptable to have such an extensive and powerful foreign intelligence network to operate within ISI’s domain.

The PML-N has differed with the ruling establishment over the strategies employed and the way the war had been handled. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra of the PML-N blamed the ruling establishment for acting late on the 14-point resolution adopted by the parliament in 2008. He said that the PML-N never supported the War on Terror and were against the blind dictation by the Americans, the terror problem needed to be addressed at its root cause.

Qureshi, who negotiated the bulk of the strategy and policy with regards to the Americans, said that there was a trust deficit with the Americans. The terms of engagement needed to be revisited in a trilateral meeting between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US so that all the partners are on the same page.

However a weak leadership in Pakistan has been detrimental to the war, said Masood. The civilian government needs to take a more proactive approach in revisiting the deal with America.

COMMENTS (8)

Inam | 13 years ago | Reply Why does everyone start saying the truth after going out of government or ministry

Hyder Ali | 13 years ago | Reply It is interesting to note that these lackeys only criticise the US-Pakistan master slave relationship when they are kicked out of office. This is the same FM that was grovelling to Hillary with childish grins and hugs. Now that that he last lost his job he is full of bright ideas. Ayub Khan also his ghost writer Altaf Ghaur write FRIENDS NOT MASTERS when he saw the handwriting on the wall after US as usual backstabbed and dumped Pakistan after the abortive 1965 war. All these "leaders" are self-serving hypocrites who have sold Pakistan to the highest bidder and enslaved its national interests for a few increasingly worthless US dollars. Simply disgraceful.

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Khalid Rahim | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Qureshi we are a gullible nation that feeds on the fodder thrown before us. Nothing is going to change unless we pull our heads out of the sand, remove the wool from across our eyes, the cotton from our ears and speak with one mouth! We lost our independence long time back and now its more like the Barmicide Feast. Unless and until we have complete political parties reforms by ending the present MOM and POP stores that our political parties are; We cannot end nepotism and corruption, And as long as these two exist in wedlock the West will continue to bash us with impunity.

John | 13 years ago | Reply He is very honest at least. " US, NATO passing the buck to Pakistan". And the color of the buck is Green.

Nasir | 13 years ago | Reply @Raju: They are desperate to do so but they understand that Pak is not Afg. In Pak, their failure would be too fast. So they are just trying to make Pak an escape goat for their own failures.

Raju | 13 years ago | Reply He is very much right NATO is trying to make stairs from top to ground by just killing taliban in Afg. They must start operations from FATA to Afg same time same day Then see results They have taken too long to decide Now new crop of Taliban which was just five years old at that time are grown to fight . They have been brought up in war .

SK | 13 years ago | Reply Mr. Qureshi, You are absolutely right- it would be more right had you spelled that out in the spell of three years you enjoyed all the perks of being foreign minister. I am sure you get another chance and you will become as obedient as you have always been for US and other masters.

Billoo Bhaya | 13 years ago | Reply He is absolutely right.

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