Vol. 76/No. 2      January 16, 2012

At the end of 2011, the U.S. military announced they had withdrawn 10,000 troops, leaving 91,000 remaining in Afghanistan. Another 23,000 are slated to leave by summer.

Pakistan has been a key, albeit conflicted and unstable, ally of U.S. imperialism in its war in Afghanistan. But tensions between Washington and Islamabad have been growing, fueled by mutual mistrust, deep anti-U.S. sentiment among Pakistani workers and peasants, and the arrogance and imperiousness of Washington.

These tensions deepened in 2011, reaching a breaking point on Nov. 26, when U.S.-led NATO forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers near the country’s border.

Obama refused to apologize for the U.S. assault. Instead, the U.S. military issued a report placing blame for the deaths on both Pakistan and U.S. “mistakes,” offering “condolences.”

Islamabad blocked all further NATO logistical supplies from crossing to Afghanistan and ordered the CIA to vacate the Shamsi airbase it used to launch drone attacks. Nearly 40 percent of NATO military supplies have gone through Pakistan.

“Pakistan has told us very clearly that they are reevaluating the entire relationship,” a senior U.S. official, who requested anonymity, told the New York Times. U.S. officials are seeking to reestablish a more restricted relationship with Pakistan, the Times reported.

As a bargaining chip, they have sharply cut back on financial aid, including suspending more than $1 billion in military assistance and equipment.

“The United States will be forced to restrict drone strikes, limit the number of its spies and soldiers on the ground and spend more to transport supplies through Pakistan to allied troops, American and Pakistani officials said,” the Times reported.

“Whatever emerges,” the Times added, “will be a shadow of the sweeping strategic relationship” that Washington had hoped for.

After the U.S.-led attack on Nov. 26, tens of thousands demonstrated against U.S. aggression across Pakistan.

One new expression of opposition to the U.S. has been the increasing popularity of Imran Khan, a politician and former cricket star. Khan is building a new political party, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice), mobilizing massive crowds across the country, built on opposition to Islamabad’s ties to the U.S. and drone attacks, as well as anti-corruption demagogy. On Jan. 1, more than 100,000 Pakistanis rallied in Karachi, the country’s largest city, to support Khan.
 
 
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