A very high-level delegation from Pakistan is currently visiting Washington for what has been termed as the "Strategic Dialogue" - a new US foreign policy gimmick.  The delegation consists of Federal Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Chief of the Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaque Kiyani, Chief of Inter Services Intellegence (ISI) and Federal Secretary of Foreign Affairs among other high officials.  The talks will be chaired by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.  The talks will cover not just security, but also economic development, water and energy, education, communications and public diplomacy, and agriculture. Pakistan has mentioned ten topics, including health as well as science and technology.

These talks are touted as a step forward in the long-term partnership between US and Pakistan.  All this is to dispel the deep feeling present in the political and intellectual medium that US will ditch Pakistan once she is done with Afghanistan as she did during the nineties when Soviets were kicked out of Afghanistan.  Through these talks US wants to show the people of Pakistan that she cares for their problems such as electricity crisis and is willing to help.

However, the reality is completely opposite.  Pakistan's miseries are solely tied to imperialist intervention, capitalist system and the treachery of its rulers.  The rulers, to cover-up for their connivance, always try to portray Pakistan as a weak country that cannot survive without US's political and financial support.  But the reality is that the amount of economic loss which Pakistan bears is far greater than what she gets in return. Pakistan lost $35 billion since it joined the crusading war of Terror; not to mention all the chaos, bomb blasts and insecurity that came as a bonus.  And in return she was given the gift of humiliating Kerry Lugar Law under which Pakistan was to get $1.5 billion each year for the next five years.  This is what we call peanuts!!!

Through this "strategic dialogue" Pakistani government shows its people that she is pushing for civil nuclear deal with America to overcome the energy crisis.  This again is a lie since Pakistan has other means available to produce abundant electricity through coal, wind and hydro resources and they need not rely on nuclear energy.  As a matter of fact only Thar coal field has the "potential to generate 100,000MW of electricity for 300 years" according to Federal Government's Engineering Development Board's monthly magazine "Industrial Bulletin (June 2008 issue)."  Hence this is a fake dependence on the US to continue to justify her slavery.

On the other hand US's real objective behind this "Strategic Dialogue" is to further meddle in Pakistan's affairs.  America has learnt through her experience that she has to be more hands-on and cannot depend on these incompetent, lazy and inapt rulers who don't even have the capability to be servants let alone be rulers.  It is for this very reason Gen. David Petraeus calls for "whole of government" approach rather than just dealing with political and military leadership alone.  This micro-management is already being witnessed in the areas of security and intelligence where America has deployed FBI agents, Blackwater and armed personals under the guise of trainers. Hence through "strategic dialogue" US wants to develop a mechanism via which she would have a legal and official channel to micro-manage Pakistan's affairs related to economy, water and energy, education, communications and agriculture. 

One of the most important issues to be discussed in these talks would be the US's War of Terror in Pakistan.  A new military operation is on the cards and the recent spate of violence is the precursor to it.  US has been demanding for a military operation in North Waziristan for quite some time and its regular drone attacks are softening down the opposition for the last few months.  Pakistani military has also sealed off the region to gain strategic advantage.  These talks will convey detail instructions to the military and political leadership for the upcoming carnage in Pakistan and how to manage its fall-out in public. 

Hence, the "strategic dialogue" is nothing but ‘strategic surrender' of Pakistan. Pakistan's puppet rulers are the biggest assets US can have in the region. But Al-Hamdulillah, these assets are exposed before the Ummah and have lost all credibility.  Now it is the responsibility of the sincere among the people-of-power to step up and provide Nusrah to Hizb ut-Tahrir so that Khilafah "Caliphate" is established and these agents are uprooted.  This is the only way of liberating the Ummah from US slavery.

Naveed Butt

The Official Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Pakistan