http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-07/25/c_131008637.htm
By Jamil Bhatti
ISLAMABAD, July 25 (Xinhua) -- After the recent U.S. steps against Pakistan, including a bill in U.S. congress to cut the aid for Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's harsh statement about Pakistan in New Delhi, and the arrest of its citizen Dr. Fai for his alleged links with Pakistani intelligence agency, majority of Pakistanis now believe that America has started revenging
Political leader and analyst of Pakistan Dr. Shireen Mazari on Monday condemned the U.S. government in strong words for its recent actions and statements targeting Pakistan on multiple fronts.
She identified three major developments by the U.S. government involving Pakistan within a couple of days.
"First is the introduction of the bill in the congress seeking to restrain U.S. aid to Pakistan, and imposition of unacceptable conditions from the granting of unquestioning quick visas to U.S. personnel to interfere Pakistan's domestic affairs," Mazari told Xinhua.
The United States has already, according to Mazari, put forward irrational and irritating demands on Pakistan, especially regarding to the military with which U.S. wants to attach its own military personnel.
The second intentional negative move by the U.S. authorities was the joint U.S-India statement at the conclusion of Hillary Clinton's recent visit to India in which the United States almost announced India as the future monitor of Asian countries especially of Pakistan.
Many Pakistanis and analysts view this U.S. development negatively as they said U.S. brought India directly into Pakistan' s internal matters by jointly demanding Pakistan to eliminate all terrorist "safe havens" in the country.
Clinton said while concluding her visit on July 18-20 that New Delhi must play a more assertive role in Asia.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who had already showed his concerns over the bill in congress, said Saturday that Pakistan would not accept any country's domination in the region.
"We don't want any Chaudhry (a title used locally for powerful individuals) in the region," Gilani said.
Pakistan's newly appointed Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who plans to travel to India on Tuesday for bilateral dialogue, made clear Pakistani policy about the U.S. announcement on India's assertive role in the region.
"Pakistan would not accept the supremacy of any country in the region as Pakistan is by no means inferior to India," said Khar after she returned from meeting with Clinton on the sidelines of ASEAN regional forum in Bali, Indonesia.
The third U.S. development under extreme criticism by Pakistan is the arrest of American national Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai of Kashmiri American Council by U.S. security department for his alleged role for Pakistan's top intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Mazari termed this act as the most bizarre and most damaging for bilateral relations in the long run.
Aslam Khan, another senior analyst who keeps a close eye on Indo-U.S.relations, doubted about the American allegations on Dr. Fai for his relations with ISI because he was arrested just few days ahead of Clinton's visit to India.
"This action had two open purposes, first to impress the Indians before Clinton's tour and second to malign and pressurize Pakistan who has tightened its policy on the American diplomats' freedom of movement within Pakistan," Khan told Xinhua.
Senior Pakistani analyst and former diplomat Asif Ezdi sees the U.S. support for India's rise in a broader context.
In an article printed in a local daily on Monday, he said the United States has been launching such efforts over one decade against the background of the growing political, economic and military power of China, seen by Washington as a challenge to its position as the sole superpower.
"India's assigned role in the U.S. strategy was to serve as a counterweight to China and to stem its assertiveness," Ezdi said.
Khan believed the Pak-U.S. relations that got tense after U.S. unilateral operation in Pakistani city of Abbottabad which led to the killing of Osama Bin Laden, have now dropped to their lowest.
According to some well-informed sources of Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the main reason for icy relations is the unending American demands of "do more" for Pakistan to which the latter has presented many excuses due to unsuitable ground realities as the U. S.-led forces started to leave Afghanistan.
Most interviees asked by Xinhua were not surprised over the U.S. shift of its pakistan policy from soft to harsh, saying that they knew as the United States gradually exits Afghanistan, it would change its behavior towards Pakistan.
