With President Asif Zardari currently in the US, PM Yousaf Raza Gilani wasted no time in declaring war on the Taliban on May 7 in a televised address to the nation. Daily Times reported: “PM Gilani said after discussions with all stakeholders, the government had decided to call in the military for decisive action against the Taliban. He said his government had tried all options to resolve the issue peacefully and implemented the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation despite pressure, but its efforts were taken as a sign of weakness.” Army chief Ashfaq Kayani, according to Dawn on May 8 “was fully aware of the gravity of the internal threat and will employ all requisite resources to ensure a decisive ascendancy over the militants.” Meanwhile, at Capitol Hill, Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, in the presence of influential US Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar, stressed Pakistan’s resolve in defeating ‘terrorists.’ “The operation will go on till the situation returns to normal,” Dawn quoted Zardari on May 8.

Trade corridor

Apart from increased funding, from Washington, Zardari and Karzai have also managed to bag a transit trade deal with American blessings, which has been denied to India even before it did the asking. In what appeared as an act of counting its chickens before they hatched, Dawn’s May 8 editorial was cynical about allowing India a corridor. “Wednesday’s accord doesn’t mention India by name, but it is obvious the agreement seeks to provide a trade corridor for Indian goods to Afghanistan through this country. Euphoric, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the agreement would ‘bring prosperity to the two countries along the trade routes and beyond’. One wishes it were that simple. If America is interested in seeing a lasting regional peace, it should be cognisant of Pakistan’s security concerns... If the Obama administration really wants cooperation to grow among SAARC members, it must first try to resolve Indo-Pakistan differences instead of expecting Islamabad alone to show goodwill.”