Clinton gets bare essential ‘reception’ at Chaklala: Shows Pakistani chagrin

Clinton gets bare essential ‘reception’ at Chaklala: Shows Pakistani chagrin

• Clinton’s low key reception: Received at airport by Pakistani Chief of Protocol Ghali
• The strategic dialogue was meant to demonstrate that US commitment to Pakistan goes beyond narrow security aims and that the US wishes to help Pakistan sort out its economic, development and political challenges. That is why areas such as energy and water and social issues such as health and education have been given so much prominence in the dialogue
• The message to the Americans: help Pakistan cope with regional pressures, especially India’s machinations in Afghanistan, because that way the Pakistani state will be able to operate in a more secure environment.

The strength of a relationship and the mood of Pakistanis can be ascertained the the level of protocol given to foreign dignitaries. For Chine, Saudi and Turkish Foreign Ministers, the cit is decked out with banners, and school-children come out in drnves to line the city roads. The warm receptions are planned by the government, but also by the political parties and common citizens.
There is no love lost between the US media and the Pakistani media. The American media, especially the right wing media periodically spews out venom against the Pakistanis. The Urdu press in Pakistan used to be very Pro-American during the 90s. It is clearly hostile to the drone bombings and American bias towards other countries–especially with reference to Nuclear deals.
Several powerful citizen groups are planning to hold huge demonstrations against Mrs. Hillary Clinton. Her low key arrival at Chaklala Air Force base is an indication of the level of frustration felt by the Pakistanis on the drone bombings.
The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is one of the most important leaders of our. She also is reviled in Pakistan for having threatened Pakistan in the past few weeks. Both the NY Times and the Washington Post have given heavy coverage to the Clinton visit to Pakistan. She has supposedly taken a check of $500 million as the first down payment of the $7.5 Billion in promised US Aid to Pakistan. Both American newspapers report that she will be taking a laundry list of demands to Islamabad–demands that have already been rejected by the troika of power in Pakistan.
Mrs Hillary Clinton has some equity in Pakistan, since she opposed aggressive actions against Pakistan during her campaign against Senator Obama. However her rhetoric since then has dissipated some of the goodwill that she had in Pakistan.
The Washington Post correctly reports that he last trip was marred by protests and aggressive questioning:
Clinton first traveled to Pakistan as secretary of state in October, a trip that was marked by hostile questioning from student, media and civil society groups. They criticized CIA missile attacks from Predator drones in tribal areas, and charged that the United States was a fair-weather friend that had used this country to drive Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the 1980s and then abandoned it to deal alone with the resulting civil war and Taliban takeover next door. Washington Post
Clinton faced a sea of hostility towards US drone bombings. This time around, Mrs. Clinton has to dig herself out of a hole that she had dug herself in, with reference to threats that threw at the Pakistani
The VOA reports on the Clinton agenda.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Pakistan at the start of a tour of South Asia aimed at refining the goals of the nearly 9-year war in Afghanistan.
She arrived Sunday in Islamabad where she will underscore the need for cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan in winning the war.
Clinton will meet with top military, political and civilian leaders during her 2-day visit in an effort to reverse strong anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.
Officials say U.S. unmanned drone strikes in Pakistan aimed at militants, but which kill and maim civilians, have left a deep mistrust of America in Pakistan.
The talks in Islamabad are also expected to focus on assisting Pakistan in strengthening its infrastructure, including the areas of health, water, energy and agriculture.
Clinton will attend a crucial international conference on Afghanistan in Kabul Tuesday. U.S. officials hope it will highlight the Afghan government’s plan to improve governance and stability in the war-torn country.
The conference will be attended by representatives from 70 other countries.
The conference is set to focus on steps the Afghan government is taking to reintegrate militants into society and crack down on widespread corruption.
The meeting comes amid deteriorating security conditions, as Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces struggle to control a rising Taliban insurgency.
Clinton will meet later in the week with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in South Korea, where talks will focus on increased tensions with North Korea about the alleged sinking of a South Korean naval ship in March.
Clinton ends her trip in Vietnam to attend the annual forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. VOA. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
If the US wants to make headway in winning the hearts and minds of Americans, it must announce a Civilian Nuclear deal with Pakistan, announce concrete programs for energy and dams, stop the drone bombings immediately, make good on old promises of a FTA (Free Trade Agreement), Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) and stop harassing Pakistan about the so called safe havens. The Afghan National Resistance control most of Afghanistan. It does not need any safe haven outside the country. If the US can, it should take over all of Afghanistan and there would be no need to complain about Pakistan. If Secretary of State Clinton wants to improve her image in Pakistan she should stop using terms like “Pakistani paranoia” about Bharati hegemonic policies towards Pakistan.
As the response to the Kerry Lugar bill has shown, the Pakistanis are not impressed by crass reminders of aid, or beguiled by Dollars. The Chinese build multi-billion Dollar dams in Pakistan without ever splashing it all over the newspapers. The US Secretary of State splashed good looking pictures on all newspapers, but then went on to threaten Pakistan. Pakistanis want to see results on the ground, which Clinton will not be able to deliver.