Hillary Clinton's Pakistan Arrogance

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Oct 27, 2009, 8:34:16 PM10/27/09

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Hillary Clinton's Pakistan Arrogance

After attacking Pakistan's military and intelligence capabilities, US officials now turn to the nationalist Pakistani media. US ambassador Anne W. Patterson already has set precedence by applying pressure on a Pakistani newspaper to silence a longtime critics of US policies. Now it's Madam Clinton's turn.

The Nation EDITORIAL

October 24, 2009

WWW.AHMEDQURAISHI.COM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—In terms of U.S. antics, things in Pakistan are becoming ever more ridiculous. As if new restrictions imposed by Congress on military aid to Pakistan aren't bad enough, we're now seeing Secretary of State Clinton target Pakistan's press. In true imperial fashion, she declared that Washington hadn't responded properly to criticism in Pakistan's media of the Kerry-Lugar Aid bill - criticism based on lies of course - but that now it would offer a fitting response. [The official bill is the Enhanced Partnership Act with Pakistan Bill of 2009]. According to Clinton, Pakistan's media is full of exaggeration and doesn't present the facts. That's laughable considering how every line of aforementioned bill has been discussed ad infinitum to the point that there was no room at all left for exaggeration, which Kerry himself reiterated when he last visited Islamabad.

Unfortunately, it is the media in the U.S. that has targeted Pakistan and its nuclear assets, offering fanciful claims and insinuations far removed from reality at every opportunity. But Clinton's attack on Pakistan's media shouldn't be ignored because it involves a veiled threat as well as an overt insult. Considering how hard this nation's press has fought and sacrificed for its independence, including in terms of lives lost, this is something we shouldn't tolerate.

Clinton is scheduled to visit Islamabad soon. The press should at least use the occasion to make its views on her derogatory remarks clear. Meanwhile, Clinton's outburst should be regarded as the start of a new phase of direct intrusion into our affairs. This is a result of the Kerry-Lugar bill and other agreements this government and its predecessor have conceded to.

A far more serious threat that has become more visible is the physical access the U.S. has gained near Pakistan's most sensitive installations, including its nuclear facilities. The case of Sihala is one such instance - and we are at a loss to understand why the government, now that the issue has been revealed, continues to allow this unwarranted U.S. access.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

At the same time, it was disturbing to find that the Interior Ministry awarded import licenses to the U.S. for the importation of weapons into the country without following proper procedure. Now that same Ministry is lowering the boom on the Pakistani commandant of the Sihala Academy for telling the truth and voicing his concerns as a Pakistani nationalist, rather than addressing U.S. antics in America's Sihala enclave and removing its presence from this sensitive area.

In a connected issue, the Ministry is also trying to put a stop to cases against Inter-Risk and DynCorp, and it refuses to admit the presence in Pakistan of Xe Worldwide (formerly Blackwater) despite glaring evidence that they are here. By all accounts, the interior Ministry seems extremely sensitive about safeguarding U.S. interests - even at the expense of Pakistan's. Why?