US meddling in transit trade talks irks ex-diplomats

The News International

PESHAWAR: Former diplomats, intellectuals and leaders of public opinion have shown concern over the American pressure being exerted on Pakistan to extract unilateral concessions for allowing transit trade facility for the Afghanistan-bound Indian goods through the land route from Wagha to Torkham.

Some of them approached The News to record their serious concern on the occasion of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Pakistan as she was expected to exert pressure on the Pakistan government on this issue. They said this would be unacceptable because Pakistan's policy of not allowing the use of the Wagha-Torkham land route was based on a broad national consensus giving due weight to vital security considerations and the history of its relations with India.

The former diplomats, members of the intelligentsia and public opinion leaders pointed out that this issue in the recent context cannot be delinked from Indian activities in using Afghanistan's soil to subvert and destabilise Pakistan.

They explained that Brahmadagh Bugti's operations in organising the Baloch insurgency from the Afghan territory with Indian collusion was a case in point.

They felt that following the Indo-US nuclear accord, there was a clear convergence of the strategic interests of New Delhi and Washington in the region. They argued that the US pressure on Pakistan to yield its position, which was based on inter-state principles of sovereign equality and mutual benefit, was a blatant manifestation of lack of balance in its policy in the region.

In their view, Hillary Clinton's visit to Pakistan was taking place in the backdrop of interesting and mixed diplomatic developments in the region. They said it was preceded by the intensive dialogue between Pakistan and the US in 13 key areas, which is expected to enhance their bilateral relations.

However, they felt that on the negative side, her visit had come soon after the failure of Indo-Pak bilateral dialogue in Islamabad. They opined that the signing of the MOU on May 6, 2009 during the trilateral heads of states meeting between US, Afghanistan and Pakistan had raised serious concerns in Pakistan. They claimed four American officials sitting in an adjoining room were instantaneously being briefed by the Afghan delegation during the recent official level talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan on the transit trade in Islamabad. In their opinion, this showed the level of US interest in the issue.

The Pakistani diplomats, intellectuals and public opinion leaders said they were aware of the concerns of the US government about the pervasive anti-US sentiment that was nurtured in Pakistan as a result of past US policies.

They appreciated the Obama administration's efforts to reduce the mistrust and suspicions between the US and Pakistan, especially the modus operandi of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her last visit to Pakistan. From the point of view of this policy, they felt it would be not only counter-productive but would also hurt American interests in Pakistan if it got unilateral concessions for India in context of the transit trade through intercession at the highest political level. Such concessions, in their view, would not be sustainable and would give a fillip to mistrust between the US and Pakistan.