Courcy’s Intelligence Brief

The level of anti-Americanism in Pakistan has reached an extraordinary level and it is fuelling calls for ever-closer ties with China.

During the past six months, the growing estrangement between Pakistan and the US has been reflected in every Pakistani newspaper and media outlet of note, particularly in their commentaries on the Raymond Davies affair in March, the killing of Osama bin Laden in early May, Hillary Clinton’s visit in late May, the ongoing US drone attacks on terrorist targets within Pakistan, and the US calls for a military offensive in North Waziristan.  The single exception to the strongly anti-American coverage has been The Express Tribune, but as it is affiliated to the International Herald Tribune, which is the global edition of The New York Times,  this exception is hardly significant.

As one example, the centrist Urdu-language Jang, which is also the country’s biggest circulation newspaper, said of Clinton during her visit that her manner “seemed more like dictation than reconciliation”.  The Nation advised the government “to get away from this trap”.

Ironically the only ‘positive’ comments in the last six months came with the announcement by the US on 10 July that intended to withhold $800m of military aid from Pakistan.  The conservative Urdu daily Nawa-i-Waqt reflected the views of many other papers when it commented that Islamabad should “consider this opportunity as a blessing; do away with US slavery and start a journey towards self-reliance”.

The paper also said “we can find alternative means of aid”, and the calls for deepening ties with China have been gaining in strength.  The most recent example was a commentary in the pro-military Pakistan Observer on 16 July.  The paper provided a detailed listing of China’s investments in Pakistan, particularly in infrastructure and power-generation, and it concluded: “The exponential expansion in [Pakistan-China] relations during the present regime reflects a marked departure from our perennial propensity to look up to the West, particularly the US, for our security and economic progress.”  The paper added that this enhanced economic, political, and strategic cooperation between China and Pakistan “will contribute immensely to warding off the lurking dangers”.

The same pro-military Pakistan Observer carried another lengthy article on the same day arguing for the need to “revisit” ties with the US.  It said: “Pakistan is suffering greviously on all counts but our rulers are still clinging to the aprons of the haughty USA...We need to determine whether we continue with this self-destructive conformist policy or radically change it...”

In the end the paper concluded that a complete break should be avoided, at least until the US’s departure from Afghanistan in 2014, as this would amount “to playing into the hands of India, Israel, and militant forces desiring a Pak-US clash”.  That does seem to provide an accurate reflection of the state of relations between Pakistan and the US.  There is distrust, and even hatred on the Pakistani side, but mutual dependence is just about keeping them together.  In the meantime, Islamabad is doing all it can to deepen ties with China.