US rebuffs Nawaz Sharif’s wish-list on Kashmir
If Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif thought he could persuade the United States to intervene in the Kashmir dispute and overlook Islamabad's poor record in punishing the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, he was pushing his luck too far. His wish-list remained just that, since, in his meeting with US President Barack Obama, the Pakistani Prime Minister failed to convince Washington, DC, on his demands. The United States, even before the meeting between the two leaders, had categorically said that there had been not an “iota” of change in the US's policy towards the Kashmir issue — which is that the matter is for Pakistan and India to resolve bilaterally without third-party intervention.
Mr Obama seized the occasion to question Mr Sharif on the delay in bringing to book the culprits of the terror attack in Mumbai in November 2008. The US President also raised the matter of export of terror, leading the Pakistani Prime Minister to agree that no country's territory must be used to destabilise its neighbours. It's a different matter that Mr Sharif, like his predecessors, does not appear to follow up on those assurances, since his Army continues to violate the ceasefire along the line of Control in a bid to provide cover for militants to enter India. Having recently secured a generous military and non-military aid from the Obama Administration, despite continuing with its policy of ‘bleeding India with a thousand cuts', Islamabad must have thought that the atmosphere was conducive to push the demand on third-party intervention in Kashmir. If that didn't happen, it's because the US is aware of India's firm opposition to the idea. It's also because Washington, DC, knows about Pakistan's devious game to destabilise India through the Kashmir route. The realisation has not, unfortunately, always reflected in the continuing support that the US gives Pakistan even when the latter needs ticking off. Perhaps things will change post-2014 withdrawal of the US-led Nato troops from Afghanistan.
Mr Sharif faced more embarrassment on another front in his meeting with the US President. Mr Obama told him that drone attacks would continue inside Pakistani territory as long they were needed. Drones have become a touchy issue in Pakistan. While its politicians from the ruling party and in the Opposition have been spewing venom on the attacks, claiming that they impinge upon their country's sovereignty, leaked reports in sections of the US media have gleefully pointed out that Islamabad has for long given tacit though secret approval to the attacks. During the presidentship of both General Pervez Musharraf and Mr Asif Ali Zardari, US drones struck targets within Pakistan with regularity in the full knowledge of Pakistan's senior leadership. It is unlikely that the US will oblige Islamabad by halting the campaign, although it may curtail the frequency of such attacks as a minor concession.