Islamabad, October 31: Meeting the same fate during her public diplomacy tour in the Muslim country, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton failed Friday, October 30, to win support of Pakistan’s tribal northwest for Washington’s anti-terror policies.
“It was a futile exercise (meeting),” Munir Orakzai, the head of a 18-member tribal parliamentary delegation, told IslamOnline.net on Friday, October 30.
“To me, any meeting or exercise, which yields no results, and aims to just talk for the sake of talk, is worthless.”
Clinton, on the last day of a three-day public diplomacy tour, held open-air talks with politicians, elders and civil society members from the tribal belt to win their support for Washington’s policies in the region.
“She said nothing new,” a disappointed Orakzai said.
“She repeated her statements like the US wants development in tribal areas, we want to see the tribal areas cleared of terrorists, etc.
“These statements mean nothing for us.”
Friday’s meeting featured representatives from the ruling Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), the strongest political party in the tribal areas, the opposition Pakistan Muslim League (N) of two-time premier Nawaz Sharif, independent MPs and the vice-chancellor of two Peshawar-based universities.
Sources said except for the ANP representatives, all participants criticized the US anti-terror policies in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“I told her clearly that we are the local people. Neither America nor Pakistani government knows our area better than us,” said Orakzai.
“Therefore, any operation or action, which will be taken without consulting us, will turn out to be futile.
“I also told her that no one, including US and Pakistani governments, has ever consulted (with) us before launching any military operation or development project here.
“I am not at all satisfied with this meeting,” he said.
Resentment
“We made it clear that these drone attacks are increasing anti-US sentiments not only in the tribal belt but in entire Pakistan,” Shah said.
The tribal politicians also disparaged Clinton for resorting to force to tackle problems.
“I told her (Clinton) that the use of power either by US or Pakistani forces is not a solution to the problem,” Mufti Kifayatullah, a member of the NWFP assembly, said.
“If talks fail, again hold talks, if it fails again, then once again hold talks.
“America has seen what its policy of force has earned in Afghanistan during last eight years. Then why it is forcing us to repeat the same mistake,” he asked.
Pir Sabir shah, the NWFP president of PML(N), urged the chief US diplomat to change policies in the region.
“We told her that we cannot help unless the US does not bring some ostensible changes in its policies vis-à-vis war on terror,” he said.
“We also raised our reservations on Kerry Luger bill, whose various conditions are humiliating for us,” he said, referring to a bill tripling annual aid to Pakistan for the next four years in recognition of Pakistan’s roe in the war on terror.
The bill sparked strong opposition inside Pakistan over a clause granting the US direct access to nuclear scientists who, according to US, are or will be involved in nuclear proliferation.
The powerful military establishment has also joined the opposition chorus protesting a clause authorizing the US to monitor and ensure that the army doesn’t interfere in civilian and judicial affairs.
The politicians warned Clinton that the anti-terror policies, particularly the drone attacks, are fueling anti-US sentiments.
“I tried to convince her that tribesmen are not militants, and the militants are not tribesmen,” Orakzai said.
“Most of them (militants) are from outside, whether from other countries or other parts of Pakistan. But unfortunately, in drone attacks, a very few militants are killed, whereas a majority of the victims are common tribesmen, including women and children.”
The US repeatedly launches drone attacks in the tribal areas.
The attacks killed hundreds of Pakistani civilians, including women and children, while only a few Qaeda members were killed.
“Every drone attack is adding more and more militants to the Taliban folder,” warned Orakzai.
Pir Sabir Shah agrees.
“How can we support these drone attacks, which are killing innocent tribesmen instead of militants,” he said.
“And more than that, they are against our national sovereignty. No sovereign nation can bear with them.
“We made it clear that these drone attacks are increasing anti-US sentiments not only in the tribal belt but in entire Pakistan.”
Failure
Clinton faced the same fate during her three-day public diplomacy offensive in Pakistan.
The top US diplomat faced hard-hitting questions from angry students at Government College University in Lahore on Thursday.
At one moment, the audience witnessed a harsh look on Clinton’s face when some students unexpectedly hurled questions about drone attacks and anti-terror policies.
The atmosphere got tense when a female student started condemning the NATO forces for killing civilians in Afghanistan.
Instead of responding, Clinton instantly changed the topic and started enumerating the details of war in Afghanistan.
Clinton appeared to be speechless, when a law student criticized the drone attacks, and asked under which law the US was doing that.
“You see, this issue is between the leadership of two sides. So let’s not to discuss this here,” Clinton replied.
She repeated the same answer when a panel of famous Pakistani anchors gave a hard time to the visiting American official at a discussion.
“On the one hand, the US backs democracy everywhere in the world, but when Pakistani parliament adopts a unanimous resolution against drone attacks, America doesn’t care about that. What is this double standard,” Hamid Mir, a prominent Pakistani anchorperson, asked Clinton.
But the chief diplomat had the same answer.
Mir hurled another ticklish question about the patrolling of US officials and troops bearing fake registration numbers and unlicensed sophisticated weapons and harassing residents.
Clinton could not say anything except “I don’t know about this specific incident, but what I would say that diplomats enjoy certain immunities in certain countries.”
“Then would you allow Pakistani embassy persons to carry arms in patrol in the streets of Washington ?” Mir asked.
Clinton had no answer.
She got almost enraged by a question from Nasim Zehra, another senior columnist, regarding controversial Kerry Lugar Bill.
-Agencies