US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson has apologized to Islamabad for the Khurram intrusion that led to the killing of two soldiers of Frontier Corps (FC) and injuries to four others. After a two-day joint investigation, it was established that the American helicopters had mistaken FC personnel to be insurgents they had been pursuing.
Pentagon has been holding that the FC personnel, manning a mountainous post near the Afghan border, were firing at pursing helicopter gunships which had to return the fire on the enemy shooting. But the US embassy took a different view and hence the apology to Pakistan. Obviously, its morale was shattered with repeated torching of hundreds of stranded NATO oil tankers and trucks through out the convoy route, including Islamabad and Quetta, following the closure of the Torkham border crossing in retaliation for the killing of FC personnel.
70 per cent of NATO supplies and 40 percent of its fuel requirements are shipped through Pakistan. At least as of now, the US may have no immediate alternative plan to get the supplies to the international forces, though there has been a talk of tapping the Russian route. That is why the International Security Assistance Force’s Commander, General Petraeus, has expressed regret for the loss of Pakistani soldiers. So did Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.
The incident is not the first `hot pursuit’ action in which Pakistani troops were killed. A similar incident happened in November 2008 when US helicopter-launched rockets targeted Taliban elements who were escaping back into Pakistani territory through the border pass being manned by the Pak soldiers.
While it is unfortunate to have `innocent’ soldiers die, a debatable point by itself in the trigger-happy zone, Pakistan Army has fully exploited the situation to bring the Americans on their knees.
Recent weeks have seen a spate of reports on the US frustration over Pakistan Army’s unhelpful attitude in pursuing the terrorist groups and the `lies’ being repeated by Gen Kayani, the Pak army chief. Even while the US Ambassador was apologizing, the White House report to Congress that Pakistani government and its army were unwilling to take action against al Qaeda and other terror outfits. The tone and tenor of the 27-page report is seen as a sign of the growing US frustration over Pakistan Army’s refusal to launch raids into North Waziristan. It is unprecedented public criticism of Pakistani efforts against terror, and of Islamabad avoiding "direct conflict" with the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.
Yet, the US is allowing the Pakistani Army to dictate terms as is clear from Patterson apology. It is time that US seriously pursues the only option that they have and that is to cut down their dependency on Pakistan. This option opens up several other possibilities if the US chooses to look at the alternatives. Otherwise, Washington will remain a prisoner of Pakistani and Talibani designs.
