It was strange that during a briefing to House Foreign Affairs Committee Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again reiterated the need for Pakistan to take on militant groups operating inside its territory. And later during the same briefing she demanded Pakistan to persuade the Taliban -- operating on its territory -- into having a dialogue with the US. She particularly emphasised that Mullah Omar and other Taliban groups should be part of the peace process. It is strange that Pakistan is being asked to antagonise and win over the Taliban at the same time. The US wants action to be taken against the Haqqani network but is overlooking and underestimating its clout with the Pashtun population along both sides of the border notably the group led by Mullah Omar. It is obvious that military operations against the outfit would stir up a hornets nest of mass-casualty attacks across the country. The reconciliation process will not stand much chance of success without the inclusion of Haqqanis. The US has first hand experience of witnessing the terrible backlash we had to cope with ever since 9/11. It is, however, neither pleased with what we have done so far, nor is ready to let us have some breathing space to recover from the whirlpool of violence. The barrage of accusations from NATO seemed particularly pinching when the Deputy Commander of NATO forces General Curtis accused Pakistan of collaborating with the insurgents lobbying rockets at US bases inside Afghanistan. The US on Thursday stepped up its aerial attacks inside FATA when a drone killed a number of alleged militants in South Waziristan further provoking the tribesmen to retaliate. It is obvious that while the US is eagerly conducting negotiations with the resistance in Afghanistan, Pakistan is being forcefully denied the chance to win the confidence of the groups within the tribal areas. A radical change in our dealing with the US is in order. As General Kayani has stated in the past, use of force is not the bargaining chip essential to restoring normalcy in FATA. The drone attacks and military operations which have made them furious should be stopped and instead preference given to development, aid and dialogue.