US view about NWA

Regardless of how her views were locally received, Consul-General of USA in Peshawar, Candace E Putnam, did not mince her words about the issue and said that her country wanted a cleanup military operation in North Waziristan even though the question of its timing was entirely up to Pakistan. Talking to media persons on Tuesday, she said that there was no change in American policy towards Pakistan. Replying to a question, the US diplomat said that American forces would stay in Afghanistan as long as the al-Qaeda outfit was not smoked out. She, however, said that US search troops might start leaving Afghanistan by July 2011. Appreciating the military operations in Swat and the tribal areas, the consul-general said that US was initiating more of the development schemes in Malakand division, where work was already in progress on 108 schools, 35 basic health units and six projects of supplying clean drinking water to the people. She said that only one percent of the Nato goods passing through Pakistan got pilfered, which was ‘just alright’.

It may be recalled that in a ceremony on June 29, Putnam presented compensation packages to the families of the security personnel who were injured and killed during the terrorist attack on the US Consulate on April 5. Speaking on the occasion, she had said that the United States was grateful for the support of Pak security forces in Peshawar, whose professionalism and sacrifice saved many lives. Three security personnel deployed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, Frontier Constabulary and Army, along with one civilian, lost their lives in the attack, while nine security guards employed by the consulate were wounded. Interaction with media persons by US diplomat came at a time when majority of the countrymen viewed American policy in the region with mixed feelings of suspicion, anxiety and distrust. Hobnobbing with militants and simultaneously talking of al-Qaeda’s elimination do not really inspire confidence in the common people.