Lack of trust

AS long as the mutual suspicions persisting between Washington and Islamabad are not removed, it will be hard to root out terrorism from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Islamabad rightly thinks it has rendered vital help to the US in the War On Terror, but is still being not trusted. Pakistan's intelligence agencies have nabbed and handed over to the US the largest number of Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders and operatives, while well over a thousand Pakistani soldiers have died fighting the militants in the tribal areas. Pakistan has subsequently been punished by the militants for being a US ally. Thousands of Pakistani citizens have died in rocket attacks, bomb blasts and suicide strikes conducted all over the country. The US, on the other hand, continues to accuse the ISI of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. While conceding that intelligence agencies do keep contacts with those involved in organised crime, including terrorist networks, US generals accuse the ISI of going a step further by funding, arming and sharing intelligence with certain militant groups, enabling them to avoid attacks by US and allied troops in Afghanistan.
The US is resorting to the carrot and stick policy now. President Obama, we are told, plans to propose $2.8billion in aid for the military, which would be in addition to the annual $1.5 billion civilian aid that has already been proposed. Meanwhile, Senator Carl Levin, Chairman Armed Services Committee, has said he would oppose financial aid or weapons for Pakistan until Islamabad is willing to take on extremists within its own borders.