How Do You Solve A Problem Like Pakistan?

   Pakistan has long been a centerpiece in American foreign policy, first against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and again in our own invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. More recently Pakistan, particularly the tribal region on the Afghan border, has become a shooting gallery for the CIA's unmanned drones. But among rumors (often spread as purposeful misinformation by radical sympathizers) that the CIA is murdering innocent civilians by firing at anything that moves. While I have some issues with the current "shoot first, ask questions never" attitude, it is undeniable that the drone strikes have been effective at eliminating key Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders. But now that diplomatic efforts with Pakistani Muslims are placed at risk, we may see a dramatic reduction in counter-terrorist activities in order to save face.

   Of course, the most obvious example of the breakdown between the United States and Pakistan was the elimination of Osama bin Laden. The terrorist leader's compound was virtually right next door to Pakistan's military academy in Abbottabad and should have been patently obvious to Pakistani intelligence services. It is telling that the assault on the compound by American forces until after the mission was complete. The Guardian newspaper said that there was a tacit agreement to grant the United States the authority to perform such a raid that was struck after bin Laden escaped Afghanistan. However, the spokesman for former Pakistani President Perez Musharraf dismissed the report as "baseless" (1).

   Another blow to US-Pakistan relations comes in the form of newly released WikiLeaks cables revealing extensive corruption within the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI (2). These cables paint the picture of a close relationship between powerful elements of the ISI and al-Qaeda. The Pakistani military is also accused of protecting bin Laden in order to continue to rake in billions of dollars in American financial aid to help "fight terrorism." As long as bin Laden's location was not revealed to the world, Pakistan could keep cashing US checks earmarked for his capture.

   Meanwhile, riots continue throughout Pakistan over what is perceived by many as an unwarranted attack by the United States on Pakistani sovereignty. India nearly sparked a full-scale war when it was planning to retaliate against the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist group (the ones responsible for the horrors in Mumbai) on Pakistani soil (3). Now Pakistani honor has been offended (see the post "Death Before Dishonor" for more on that topic) and they are screaming for satisfaction. Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani denies that Pakistan was complicit in keeping bin Laden alive. In addition, he made the ominous statement that Pakistan "reserves the right to retaliate with full force" should future unilateral raids by the United States on Pakistani soil take place (4). Already the Pakistani government has been moving away from the United States as an ally while forming closer ties with China and has been pushing the Afghan government to do the same (5).

   The waves of anti-Americanism that were sparked by the American drone strikes and fanned into flames with the death of Osama bin Laden have made life increasingly difficult for Pakistan's Christian minority. Pakistani Christians lived a precarious balance for centuries, but the situation is worse than ever (6). Salman Tasseer, the governor of the Punjab region who had been fighting to reform Pakistan's blasphemy laws that target Christians, was murdered by his own bodyguard in January. Then, a few weeks later, the Taliban assassinated Shabaz Batti, the Pakistani minorities minister (and the only highly-placed Christian in the entire government). With less political protection than ever, Pakistani Christians have been crying out to the international community. So far they have received no real response.

   Lawmakers in Washington need to take a serious look at our "good friend" Pakistan and determine if the billions of dollars in aid is really worth the trouble. Faced with significant financial problems already, doesn't it make sense to stop paying the Pakistani government to lie to us? And how will these developments affect our relationship with Pakistan's longtime rival India? Let me know what you think in the Comment section.

References-
1. "Former Pakistani President Claims There Was Never Bin Laden Deal With U.S." Fox News; May 10, 2011. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/05/10/pakistani-president-claims-bin-laden-deal/; accessed May 10, 2011

2. Brown, Stephen. "WikiLeaks Exposes Pakistan's Blatant Betrayal of America." FrontPage Magazine; May 4, 2011. http://frontpagemag.com/2011/05/04/wikileaks-expose-pakistans-blatant-betrayal-of-america/; accessed May 10, 2011

3. Xenakis, John J. "Pakistan's Schizophrenic Reaction to Bin Laden Killing." Big Peace; May 3, 2011. http://bigpeace.com/jxenakis/2011/05/03/pakistans-schizophrenic-reaction-to-bin-laden-killing/; accessed May 10, 2011

4. Rowland, Kara. "Pakistan leader decries unilateral operations." The Washington Times; May 9, 2011. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/9/pakistan-leader-decries-unilateral-operations/; accessed May 10, 2011

5. Schweizer, Peter. "With Friends Like These: Pakistan Urges Afghanistan To Abandon America And Join Forces With China." Big Peace; April 27, 2011. http://bigpeace.com/pschweizer/2011/04/27/with-friends-like-these-pakistan-urges-afghanistan-to-abandon-america-and-join-forces-with-china/; accessed May 10, 2011

6. Di-Natale, Dominic. "Pakistan's Deprived Christian Community Say They're Persecuted for U.S. Drone Strikes." Fox News; April 23, 2011. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/04/23/pakistani-deprived-christian-community-say-theyre-persecuted/; accessed May 10, 2011