Political tactics

THE $10 million bounty on Hafiz Saeed is not astonishing for many Pakistans. Only a month ago a US court announced two years’ prison sentence for prominent Kashmiri human rights activist Ghulam Nabi Fai. Nabi Fai has been involved in the struggle of the Kashmiri people’s self-determination for the last several years. A Pakistani court also cleared and released Hafiz Saeed from all allegations against him after the Mumbai terrorist attacks. The UN appreciated his party’s relief efforts after the last year’s floods in Pakistan. Now it seems true that after a tough stance of the Pakistan government and the military leadership on US drone attacks and closing of Nato supply line, the US is tightening its grip around Pakistan.

 

The American Congress is raising the issue of Balochistan’s self-determination and human rights situation. The US also wants to link all foreign aid to Pakistan’s performance in the US-led ‘war on terror’. Recently, the parliament’s special session agreed to halt all Nato supply routes until the US stopped drone attacks which are killing innocent people. Pakistan also wants to minimise the role of US secret agencies in the country. Every month visits by US civil and military personalities and ‘do more requests’ are inreasing tensions between the two countries.

KHWAJA UMER FAROOQ

Jeddah