Islamabad has again failed to normalise ties with Washington: Pak daily

Islamabad, August 24(ANI): Pakistan has again failed in normalising its strained ties with the United States and in evolving a well-considered policy vis-?-vis Washington, a Pakistani newspaper has said.

According to reports, Washington has secured a strategic deal with Kabul to retain some bases and troops in Afghanistan till 2024.

This is largely because of the inept policies of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which shortly after coming in power, accepted the US-led war against terrorism without redefining the rules of engagement with Washington, that led to major incidents including arrest of Raymond Davis and US raid at Osama bin Laden's compound on May 2 bringing the US-Pakistan relations to present impasse, The Nation reported.

Background discussions and interviews with diplomats as well as senior security officials of Pakistan reveals that the country lost important opportunities in the course whereby it could have evolved durable working relations with the US, based on principles of non-interference, sovereignty and dignity to better serve the mutual objectives, the paper said.

Sources were of the view that Pakistan's decision to continue with the Musharraf-era unwritten agreements with the US has left the country in a total chaos, while the US continues launching drone strikes in the FATA region.

The sources blamed Pakistan's political dispensation for accepting the US-led war without considering its implications on the country, the paper said.

The second major reason they cited in Pakistan's losing diplomatic disadvantage was the non-implementation of the parliamentary resolution that was adopted after a rigorous parliamentary process, it added.

The resolution adopted by the parliament clearly laid down parameters for the Pakistan Government to sort out the challenging issue of CIA drone strikes with the United States, the paper said.

The US' unilateral raid on bin Laden's Abbottabad hideout further complicated the relationship between the two countries, which was already strained over unabated drone attacks and the Raymond Davis case, it added.(ANI)