An Impression of Pakistan

Pakistan is furious, beside itself with anger. Its sovereignty, its air space has been invaded by a foreign country's military. Moreover, a military engagement of the highest priority had not been vetted through disclosure of the event in its planning stages with Pakistan's government, or with its military or its secret service. That the United States failed to communicate its intention with official Pakistan is an insult to its honour, and one that will not be forgotten nor forgiven.

Pakistan is, after all, a staunch ally of the West in the battle against Islamist extremism. Pakistan has made many sacrifices in the war against terror. Pakistan's prime minister has warned the United States his country has every intention of protecting and defending its airspace from any further, future such incursions. Pakistan will not stand by to be insulted again.

The people of Pakistan are infuriated beyond frenzy that a foreign power would stain the honour of their country in such a brazen manner.

Pakistan, the recipient of billions of support funding for its military annually from the United States, is indebted to no one; no country, no foreign military machine, no diplomatic missions, and certainly no president other than their own. The humiliation that the country is reeling under is indefensible.

An ally should not be treated in such an insultingly cavalier manner. And it hardly bears repeating that no one in an official capacity had any knowledge of the presence of Osama bin Laden within Pakistan.

While it does seem peculiar that elite military officers located in an secure army academy a stone's throw from the al-Qaeda leader's compound knew nothing of his presence, and Islamabad's total ignorance of Osama bin Laden's six-year residence in a garrison town located within an hour's drive of the capital, it is nevertheless true.

The Inter-Services Intelligence agency simply overlooked his presence; there is no truth whatever to the U.S.-sourced rumours that state otherwise.

As minor pay-back, for the second time, Pakistan has outed the CIA station chief tasked with representing American interests in Islamabad. Like his predecessor, Mark Carlton, has left Pakistan since he is now a marked man in the down-payment on some measure of revenge at insulting the country.

Sullying the honour of Pakistan by insinuations that it has colluded with the world's greatest terrorist threat is unforgivable.

"The army is very much hurt. There was an understanding to continue our co-operation in the war on terrorism and then in the following weeks they did this. It shows how much they trust us. The Americans think they can do whatever they want, but the Pakistan people are full of hate for them." Pakistani government source

Sad how misunderstood Pakistan is. It is not a crucible for teaching jihadis terror methodology. It is not a haven for the Taliban and for al-Qaeda. It does not have a multitude of Saudi-funded madrassas teaching fundamentalist Islamism and glorifying martyrdom to impressionable students left with the impression that they must fulfill their obligations to Islam by becoming mujaheddin.

However could the world have gained such an impression of Pakistan?