By IANS,
Islamabad : The ties between Pakistan and the US have “hit an all-time low” following the NATO airstrike that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead, said a Pakistani daily Wednesday.
The News International editorially said that not only have the ties between Islamabad and Washington hit an all-time low, “anger runs high everywhere and feelings of bitterness have brought people out on the streets in cities across the country”.
NATO helicopters attacked two Pakistan Army checkposts Nov 26 in Mohmand Agency, killing 24 soldiers. Islamabad promptly stopped the passage of NATO supplies through Pakistan and also told the US to vacate Shamsi airbase that is used to launch drone attacks.
The editorial said that the attack has added to the growing resentment against the US that exists in the country and, “over the past few years, has contributed to the violence we see in our tribal and other areas”.
“The US has come up with expressions of regret. This seems akin to throwing pebbles after a savage beast once it has wreaked havoc on its victims and fled. The words being uttered, the condolences being offered and the slightly condescending comments being made are simply not enough,” it said.
It went on to say that the US response so far is “simply not adequate”.
“Indeed, it is continuing to fall well short of what is required, given the magnitude of the event that has occurred.”
It noted that the Pakistani government and the security establishment have taken a fairly tough stand on the matter.
But the real questions remain. “Can the government stick to its stand? Does it have the guts to do so? Or will it, at some point, give in?” the editorial wondered.
It said: “Certainly in the past it has been unable to take a stand against US excesses with any degree of consistency. Perhaps too many compromises for narrow personal and political ends have been made.”
“We will need to see what happens next.”
The editorial suggested that the time has come for both the leaders of Pakistan and the US to “make a new beginning based on a sense of equality and a willingness to work together with respect for each other”.