After returning from Dubai after suffering a minor heart attack, President Zardari is facing more pressure to leave government. A Reuters exclusive quotes several prominent sources within the military who want Zardari to leave. The military is quick to point out that they do not want to implement a coup to rid themselves of president Zardari. Pakistan has undergone three military coups since it was formed in 1947. The military in Pakistan is already under tremendous pressure after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May took place; many see this as a blatant breach of sovereignty. The “memogate” scandal has already claimed the Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., who resigned after it was alleged that he was the individual who authored the memo asking for help to counter a military coup. Zardari seems as if he may be the next to go as a result of this scandal. Widely loathed through out the country, Zardari’s exit will not be viewed negatively by most people.
The U.S. has released a report today detailing what allegedly caused American forces to kill 24 Pakistani soldiers in November. The report notes that what took place is certainty a tragedy, while at the same time placing most of the blame on the Pakistanis. According to the report it was the Pakistanis that fired first, dragging the American forces into a fire fight. Miscommunication and bad coordinates are also to blame for the deadly friendly fire incident.
In classic American fashion, rather than issue a real apology, the blame is placed on the Pakistanis. And yet many in Washington will continue to wonder why the Pakistanis dislike us. Even if all of the report is true, Washington needed to bite the bullet on this one and issue a real apology. How long can Washington and the president keep this up? Politicians like Imran Khan are gaining more and more support with in Pakistan by running on an anti American platform. Sometimes in diplomacy you cant get everything that you want; the United States really needs to comprehend this. This arrogant stance will only further the gapping divide between Washington and Islamabad. Don’t be surprised when another attack on NATO forces is linked back to the ISI.
The Associated Press reported that Canadian troops will hand over individuals arrested in Afghanistan to the Americans and not the Afghans. This adds another black mark to the Canadian government when it comes to the treatment of detainees. The Canadian governments treatment and help in prosecuting one of its own citizens, Omar Khadr, on terrorism charges should strike people as abhorrent. The fact that the Khadr was a teenager and is the only child solider ever to be found guilty is even more heinous.
Furthermore, this only delegitimizes the Afghan government further; making them weak in the eyes of its citizens.
Porkins Policy Review 