Media watch: Pak-US dialogue

Media questions the claim by the foreign minister that the Pak-US dialogue took place on an equal footing.

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

Pakistanis lose, US wins

So, once again, our rulers have succumbed to US pressure and will embark on another series of killings in NWA – that is, against more Pakistani citizens – at a time when the US is itself begun to move towards talks with the Taliban. In fact, NATO itself has been ferrying the Taliban to locations in Afghanistan in preparation for such talks and US Envoy Holbrooke has formally stated that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won militarily and talks with the Taliban would take place. (nation.com.pk)

The great expectation

To think that a hefty aid package does not carry the weight of expectations amounts to fooling oneself. That is why Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s statement at a press conference after his arrival from Washington fails to inspire belief. Saying that Pakistan will work on its own “timeline” to fight the militants currently being given safe havens near the Pak-Afghan border will not go down well with the US, despite its reiteration at the dialogue that Pakistan is its “strongest” ally in this war. (dailytimes.com.pk)

Not as smooth

Concern about the quality of governance is believed to be rising in Washington where it is thought that misgovernance adds to the weakness of the Pakistani civilian setup. Things then may not have gone quite as smoothly as Mr Qureshi implies. Whether or not Pakistan has succeeded in driving home some points, notably its concerns on Kashmir, will be known when President Obama visits India in a few weeks' time. (thenews.com.pk)

US economic assistance package

Given the foregoing was the strategic dialogue therefore a success? It was successful with respect to enhanced military assistance, though there is likely to be a rider on that as the US may well require proof that this amount is spent on the war on terror rather than on our border with India, but as far as civilian assistance goes, it did not entail "making the Obama administration accept our position on various issues," as claimed by Qureshi. (brecorder.com)