In the Rubble of Estranged Relations: Squeezing Vs Reconciling

Pakistani side reconfirmed that there was no question of any support by any Pakistani institutions or any Pakistani institutions to safe havens in Pakistan. US assures that The question of any security role inside Afghanistan by India is a nightmare and totally unacceptable.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Pakistan on October 20-21 was very significant in many ways. It settled or tried to settle the dust in the Pak-US relations, helped prepare a work plan for future engagements, and provided ample opportunities for the full deleg-ations of the two sides to speak out their respective minds. Hillary Clinton reached out to the wider sections of the Pakistani society through her joint briefing with Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar, through a town hall meeting with representatives from NGOs, civil society and media organization and through an interaction with anchors of Pakistan TVs. The outcome of the visit, as Hillary Clinton herself confirmed, was 95 per cent successful. The subsequent developments would certainly unfold the specifics of the success of the visit. However, Hillary Clinton did convey a message of urgency in terms of operati-onlization of all aspects by emphasizing on `days and week’ and not months.

After weeks of mudslinging and figure-pointing against Pakistan, the discussions of a very high-level US delegation with equally high-level delegation from Pakistan did provide a face to face interaction to `listen’ to each others perspective. Pakistani side reconfirmed that there was no question of any support by any Pakistani institutions or any  Pakistani institutions to safe havens in Pakistan. However, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar acknowledged at the joint press conference that Yes, the Secretary is right; safe havens do exist on both sides of the border. In fact, the delegation level meeting during the previous night of the joint press resulted in ` strategic congruence’ wherein both sides recognized that they have got a problem. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Mark Grossman, Director CIA David Patreous, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsy and others discussed matters of mutual interest and cooperation with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, COAS General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani, DG ISI General Ahmad Shuaj Pasha and others in four major areas. They talked about counter-terrorism relationship; about regional relationship, meaning Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S.; New Silk Road vision; and then about bilateral relationship.

US Perspective

When it came to talking about counter-terrorism and regional relationship, meaning Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S; Hillary Clinton talked about the importance of working together to end the safe havens both in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, and The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Pakistan on October 20-21 was very significant in many ways. It settled or tried to settle the dust in the Pak-US relations, helped prepare a work plan for future engagements, and provided ample opportunities for the full deleg-ations of the two sides to speak out their respective minds. Hillary Clinton reached out to the wider sections of the Pakistani society through her joint briefing with Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar, through a town hall meeting with representatives from NGOs, civil society and media organization and through an interaction with anchors of Pakistan TVs. The outcome of the visit, as Hillary Clinton herself confirmed, was 95 per cent successful. The subsequent developments would certainly unfold the specifics of the success of the visit. However, Hillary Clinton did convey a message of urgency in terms of operati-onlization of all aspects by emphasizing on `days and week’ and not months.

After weeks of mudslinging and figure-pointing against Pakistan, the discussions of a very high-level US delegation with equally high-level delegation from Pakistan did provide a face to face interaction to `listen’ to each others perspective. Pakistani side reconfirmed that there was no question of any support by any Pakistani institutions or any ‘Pakistani institutions to safe havens in Pakistan. However, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar acknowledged at the joint press conference that ‘Yes, the Secretary is right; safe havens do exist on both sides of the border’. In fact, the delegation level meeting during the previous night of the joint press resulted in ` strategic congruence’ wherein both sides recognized that they have got a problem. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Mark Grossman, Director CIA David Patreous, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsy and others discussed matters of mutual interest and cooperation with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, COAS General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani, DG ISI General Ahmad Shuaj Pasha and others in four major areas. They talked about counter-terrorism relationship; about regional relationship, meaning Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S.; New Silk Road vision; and then about bilateral relationship.

US Perspective

When it came to talking about counter-terrorism and regional relationship, meaning Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S; Hillary Clinton talked about the importance of working together to end the safe havens both in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, and specifically the need to squeeze the Haqqani Network. For the United States, squeezing of Haqqani network literally meant intelligence-sharing to stop the planning and the execution of their attacks inside Afghanistan. The United States does have its own understanding of the reconciliation. Hillary Clinton herself spelled out the meaning of reconciliation that the U.S. and Pakistani support for an Afghan-led process that meets the Afghans’ own red lines and the red-lines are in the context of people who are prepared to renounce violence, break ties with al-Qaida, support the Afghan constitution in all of its elements, including full support for universal human rights, rights of women, rule of law’.  Hillary Clinton made it clear that the US is not prepared to support anything that would roll back the progress that Afghanistan has seen on all of these elements. The United States clearly conveyed its determination on fight, talk and build. On the fight side, they have stepped up with the Afghans and with ISAF support on the border regions.  The United States publicly demands to see similar effort on the Pakistani side

Pakistan’s Perspective

Pakistan does have its own red-lines which were very clearly spelled out in meeting(s) with the US delegation. Pakistan does support a genuine Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process. The sad demise of Professor Rabbani was a setback for the reconciliation process. It is ready to facilitate reconciliation process. Hillary Clinton publicly acknowledged of a few meetings that Pakistan arranged even with the Haqqani network. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar reminded at the joint briefing of a Joint Commission headed by the Chief Executives of Pakistan and Afghanistan for encouraging the reconciliation. Pakistan did convey that it cannot and would not tolerate any foreign boots on its soil. Hillary Clinton later confirmed at her one of the talks that such an option is ruled out by the United States. The question of any security role inside Afghanistan by India is a nightmare and totally unacceptable. The question of an All Parties Conference (APC) resolution is abiding and a guiding principle for Pakistan in charting out future perspective. Hillary Clinton welcomed the APC resolution, particularly the emphasis in the resolution for `giving a chance to peace’. But she also remarked that peace should be given a chance on both sides of the border. In regard to the US mechanism of fight, talk and build, Pakistan does have its own 3-D strategy i.e deterrence, dialogue and development.

Way forward

The visit to the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was no more a secret diplomatic mission as it turned to be an open diplomacy. What she might have stated in the closed door meetings, was equally spelled out in the open during the joint briefing or town hall meeting. Even she had to listen to be acting like a mother-in-law, always demanding more and more from Pakistan. Her visit did lower the temperature between the two countries and the war of verbal attrition has subsided so far. The concrete outcome of the visit was in terms of future engagements. The two sides agreed to carry forward the suspended Strategic Dialogue process and decided to convene in near future the sectoral meetings under the rubric of the Strategic Dialogue. The two-sides also agreed to meet in Istanbul early November on the side lines of a regional conference on Afghanistan. President Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar are expected to be in Istanbul along with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The visit of the US delegation did break the suspended interaction between Pakistan and Afghanistan as President Asif Zardari is expected to hold trilateral meeting between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey. After assassination of Chairman of Afghan High Peace Council Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, it is going to be the first interaction between President Zardari and Hamid Karzai. President Karzai has already set a cooperative mood by expressing Afghanistan’s readiness to support Pakistan in case of an attack on Pakistan.