Let us be frank. Pakistan has paid an enormous price for its stand against terrorism. More of our soldiers have died than all of NATO’s casualties combined. Two thousand police officers, as many as 30,000 innocent civilians and a generation of social progress for our people have been lost. And for me, justice against bin Laden was not just political; it was also personal, as the terrorists murdered our greatest leader, the mother of my children.
That would be a wonderful argument if Pakistan was consistently fighting at our side trying to win. But they aren't. Surely, as President Zardari wrote, it is nice that truth, justice and the forces of history are on our side. But you'll notice that Pakistan is absent from his list.
The sad fact is, Pakistan plays both sides of the war. Yes, a lot of their people and soldiers have died. but a lot of them are dead because rather than trying all out to defeat the jihadis, the Pakistani government fights the jihadis half-heartedly, letting the enemy recover to fight more, and even helps the enemy in other ways to fight us. So a lot of the price Pakistan has paid has been charged by the Pakistani government itself.
Let me be frank. We have to put up with Pakistan's failure to whole-heartedly side with us in the war against the Taliban. I'd always rather have Pakistan as a friend rather than a nuclear-armed enemy or failed state, of course. But eventually we will be able to set standards for our friendship without having to look the other way while Pakistan supports jihadis just because Pakistan also helps us defeat jihadis just enough to make it worth our while to support Pakistan. That may be a way to keep our money coming, but it is no way to earn our friendship.
