China may not veto US move for action inside Pakistan
LAHORE: Pakistan will have to act very sensibly and prudently in the wake of the US special forces covert operation in Abbottabad on May 2, in which al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed. All institutions of the country should deliberate on what, in fact, they wanted to do or achieve in future, before they issue any statements or take any action in this regard. The armed forces of the United States and its allies came to Afghanistan in 2001 under a decision of the United Nations to eliminate al-Qaeda from there. The entire world supported the US move, and is still supporting it. Pakistan also became part of the global war against terrorism by joining hands with the US in its war on terror.
But, lately, Pakistans relations with the US are passing through a critical phase. Though the president and the prime minister of Pakistan expressed solidarity with the US on its Abbottabad operation and declared it a great success, the armed forces found it against the sovereignty of the country and in violation of the territorial boundaries of Pakistan. The defence authorities demanded bringing down the number of US troops in Pakistan to the minimum level, and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir warned that there should be no doubt that a repetition of such an act will have disastrous consequences.
On the other hand, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta warned Islamabad that the US had all the right to carry out more Abbottabad-like strikes, asking it to decide whether to join Washingtons search for Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mullah Omar or to let Washington do it alone. Ambassador Munter demanded that Islamabad explain what Osama was doing in Abbottabad. There is no denying the fact that Pakistan parting ways with the US is not only very difficult but also dangerous. We should not repeat the Raymond Davis episode. It is really unwise to make our nation emotional and instigating it to demand death for Raymond Davis, and then repatriate the accused killer to the US, leaving the people in a state of anger and despair. Until now, no country in the world has condemned the US action in Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Pakistans Ministry of Finance has time and again made it clear that passing the upcoming budget without the support of the US and its allies would be like pushing the country towards a financial crisis. We desperately need the US Coalition Support Fund, Kerry-Lugar Bill Fund and the IMF to keep the country running financially, according to the economic wizards. President Asif Zardari is currently on an official visit to Russia, whose foreign minister has unambiguously stated in the near past that his country fully backed the US action in Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. The only encouraging voice, China, has assured Pakistan that it would not leave it alone in its difficult times. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also stated that China has sent a clear message to the world that Pakistan should not be viewed as a lone and helpless country.
However, it will be naÔve to think that China would stand by us in the face of any confrontation with the US or the Europe. Historically, it is not a complete truth. Recently, when the US and its ally countries moved the UN Security Council to get various Pakistan-based outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, declared illegal, China did not veto the resolution, and the ban was imposed on these groups. Chinas gigantic economic benefits are attached with the economies of the US and Western countries, and there is no comparison as far as Pakistan is concerned. Would it be wise to think that China would cut its relations with the entire global community for Pakistan and get itself alienated? Not at all. Neither its a wise approach nor is it possible. If we did not take a policy decision on improving our relations with the US, we will have to face enormous difficulties in the coming days. It will become really hard for Pakistan to stop America from conducting any Abbottabad-like operation on its soil. As history shows, America carried out operations in Iraq and Kosovo without getting passed any resolutions from the UN. Even then various countries of the world supported the US moves. In our case, we cannot go to the UN against the US operation in Pakistan, as we didnt have a majority support among the Security Council members. However, in the changed scenario, if the US moves the UNSC for launching an operation in Pakistan, even China might not be in a position to veto such a resolution.
China may not veto US move for action inside Pakistan
