Pakistan: NATO apology not enough to open supplies

Pakistan army has said that Washington’s apology for the November 26th NATO attack on Army post would not help revive the pre-attack relationship. Daily ‘The News’ said on Thursday that a top military commander has assured that the present review of the post 9/11 Pakistan-US terms of engagement aimed at correcting the past wrongs in the best national interest of Pakistan. The daily quoting the military commander said that the Nato supply lines would not be reopened unless the past wrongs of the last 10 years were corrected. The military commander’s assurance was in consonance with the resolve of Pakistani parliament and the executive branch of government that without new terms of engagement with the US on the war on terror, the relationship between Washington and Islamabad could not be normalised. The military commander was also determined to effectively counter any future US-led ISAF-NATO attack on Pakistani soil. “Irrespective of their technological superiority, we are capable of defending ourselves.” Washington’s arrogance did not allow the US administration to tender a formal apology to Islamabad as yet for killing 26 Pakistani soldiers but the Pakistani civilian and military authorities are firm that even if the apology comes from the Obama administration, Islamabad would not revive the past relationship. Certain voices from within Pakistan, including Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar, though suggested that an apology from Washington would lead to the reopening of the Nato supply line, the military and civil government officials are firm that this is now the time to review the Pakistan-US terms of engagement in the national interest of Pakistan. After many years, this is for the first time that input from all different institutions is being invited to review the Pakistan-US relations in a manner that not only the Nato attacks are prevented in future but also there should not be any more drone strikes inside Pakistani territory. On the conclusion of envoys’ conference on Tuesday, Pakistan sent a crystal clear message to the world that the country would not accept transgression of its territorial integrity under any circumstances and its cooperation with US/Nato/Isaf was based on respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. After the Nato attack, which was considered by Islamabad a deliberate and preplanned aggression by the US, the Pakistan Army announced that it would retaliate against all future attacks.