A meeting in New York

The three-and-a-half hour meeting was dominated by Clinton insisting Pakistan take action against Haqqani network.

For her second major meeting abroad as foreign minister, this time with her American counterpart Hillary Clinton ahead of the UN General Assembly session, Hina Rabbani Khar was able to keep the focus away from her clothes and handbags. However, she was unsuccessful in keeping attention off the Haqqani network and Pakistan’s alleged support for it. The three-and-a-half hour meeting in New York City was reportedly dominated by Clinton’s insistence that Pakistan should take swift military action against the notorious terrorist outfit. As high as America’s frustration with Pakistan’s unwillingness or inability to take on the Haqqani network may be, even Clinton must know that Khar is the wrong person to make such demands to. Any decision on military operations will not be taken by Khar or the civilian government she serves; rather it will be Pakistan’s military leadership that has the final say.

Pakistan was originally supposed to be represented by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani at the talks, but he pulled out at the last minute because of the floods at home. Reportedly, though, he was miffed that US President Barack Obama rebuffed Gillani’s request for a meeting. Such meetings, however, are little more than window dressing. The true parameters of bilateral relations are set by the military and intelligence agencies of both countries. As such, the recent meetings between ISI chief Lt.-Gen. Shuja Pasha and his CIA counterpart, Gen. David Petraeus are more accurate barometers of the state of relations. On that front, despite the Haqqani network remaining a sticking point, there has been some improvement since the May 2 nadir, with Pakistan helping the US in capturing al Qaeda leaders in Quetta and even agreeing to allow back some military trainers. However, given the limited power of the civilian leadership in Pakistan, it is regrettable that so much of the meeting was taken up by the Haqqani network. There are plenty of other outstanding issues that could have been resolved instead. For one, Pakistan is once again going through a destructive monsoon season and needs the US, along with the rest of the international community, to shake off its donor fatigue and step up with disaster relief. More time could also have been spent on discussing trade, with Pakistan lobbying the US to remove barriers to entry for exports, particularly in textiles.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st,  2011.