Zebra
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Last updated on: May 8, 2012 14:34 IST
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks that Washington is intent upon going after those who are trying to keep Al Qaeda operational and inspirational is a veiled threat to Islamabad, writes Amir Mir.
At a time when Pakistan and the United States are struggling to break the standoff in their troubled relationship, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has fired a fresh salvo at Islamabad, saying that Al Qaeda chief Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri was hiding in Pakistan, thus upping the ante again and further delaying the resolution of the impasse.
Relations between the two countries had been affected after a NATO airstrike on two checkposts that had killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November 2011. While reacting, the Pakistani establishment had suspended the NATO supply line to Afghanistan, asking the US to formally apologise for the killing of the Pakistani soldiers.
However, the US administration is not ready to apologise, thinking that doing so in an election year could badly affect President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. The US refusal to apologise has caused a dilemma for the decision-makers in Islamabad, amidst US media reports that if Pakistan did not restore the NATO supply route in the next few weeks, it might face international economic sanctions under the United Nations Security Council resolution.
Hillary's statement about Zawahiri's possible presence in Pakistan should be seen against the backdrop of these developments.
In India, Hillary drops the Zawahiri bomb on Pakistan - Rediff.com News
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks that Washington is intent upon going after those who are trying to keep Al Qaeda operational and inspirational is a veiled threat to Islamabad, writes Amir Mir.
At a time when Pakistan and the United States are struggling to break the standoff in their troubled relationship, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has fired a fresh salvo at Islamabad, saying that Al Qaeda chief Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri was hiding in Pakistan, thus upping the ante again and further delaying the resolution of the impasse.
Relations between the two countries had been affected after a NATO airstrike on two checkposts that had killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November 2011. While reacting, the Pakistani establishment had suspended the NATO supply line to Afghanistan, asking the US to formally apologise for the killing of the Pakistani soldiers.
However, the US administration is not ready to apologise, thinking that doing so in an election year could badly affect President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. The US refusal to apologise has caused a dilemma for the decision-makers in Islamabad, amidst US media reports that if Pakistan did not restore the NATO supply route in the next few weeks, it might face international economic sanctions under the United Nations Security Council resolution.
Hillary's statement about Zawahiri's possible presence in Pakistan should be seen against the backdrop of these developments.
In India, Hillary drops the Zawahiri bomb on Pakistan - Rediff.com News
