President Barack Obama has signed the $662 billion defence bill with reservations. He has suspended 60% of the $1.1 billion military aid to Pakistan. The aid to be given to Pakistan will depend on reports from the US secretaries of state and defence regarding Islamabad’s progress in the war on terror. The US defence bill has condemned recent activities of Pakistan and appears slated to strain the traditional tilt. Relations between the two countries have been souring since the killing of Osama bin Laden and the cooling even goes back to 9/11. The US is in the process of pulling out of Afghanistan and Pakistan is riven by internal conflicts between the PPP and the Pakistan Army. Terrorism has hit the Pakistan state. The ISI for its part is engaged in the strategic use of terror. The US President gave vent to the suppressed animosity in a speech in December. However, the bill does not mark the end of US aid to its protégé, Pakistan. Interdependence between the two countries is a geo-political reality. Pakistan needs US greenbacks to repair its damaged economy. The US is aware of Pakistan’s current move to play the China card. But it is also aware of Islamabad’s importance as an unavoidable ally in the AfPak theatre, all the more so in view of its coming withdrawal from the area.
The continued flip-flop in US-Pakistan relations is significant for India. If the US breaks away from the alliance, Pakistan will be even more of a threat to India. But New Delhi must not be taken in by US and Pakistani posturings. The tilt goes as far back as the 1950s. India has a big stake in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Pakistan cozying up with the Taliban and/ or with the government in Kabul will not be in India’s interest.
