WHEN the Obama administration appointed the late Richard Holbrooke as special envoy to Afghanistan two years ago it also broke with precedent by indicating that his role would extend to Pakistan because in many important respects the two adjoining countries could not be separated. Holbrooke had coped with Milosevic in the Balkans in the 1990s and seemed the right man for the job. But things did not work out that way and when Holbrooke died prematurely it left the Af-Pak situation without a special envoy from Washington and relations between Islamabad and Washington in their worst state since 9/11.
This week the Pakistan foreign minister, Selman Bashir, said We need to re-examine the fundamentals of our relationship. While Pakistan continues to assert that it is a vital ally in the war on terror it complains about unauthorised CIA activity in the country, the failure of the US to be open about its policy on talks with the Taliban, the continuing use of drones, one of which killed several dozen civilians last week, and about criticism of Pakistan by American politicians. From America's viewpoint, there are doubts over the relationship between the powerful Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate and the Taliban and other militant organisations in Afghanistan.
The outlook is bleak enough for the US and its allies in Afghanistan without a further breakdown in co-operation with Pakistan.
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