As much as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs visit to the United States (US) is being played up by the Pakistani media,

the US media remained quite apathetic to his visit. Pakistan was non-existent on daily news cycles and in US newspapers. Local media also keeps on spinning this visit as if it was a negotiation between the two heads of state. This wasnt a face-saving official visit. Its the first time Nawaz officially met US President Barack Obama and both leaders got a chance to get acquainted with each other. Making this trip sound as if something groundbreaking will come out of it just puts Nawaz under unnecessary pressure, considering the new prime minister remains indecisive over key policy issues, especially counterterrorism. It has been four months since the new administration took charge, but there hasnt been any formal policy announcement on how to tackle terrorism except for the meaningless charade of allparties conferences (APCs). Instead, drone strikes have been illogically tied to terrorism when there isnt empirical evidence to suggest this. In fact, evidence points to the contrary, considering the number of drone strikes against the number of terror attacks, particularly suicide ones. Blaming terrorism on drone strikes helps policymakers off the hook for their own shortcomings on successfully forming a policy or taking even an initiative. In his speech at the United States Institute of Peace, Nawaz said the nation had formed a consensus through APCs to give peace a chance. Its hard to rule out that the Americans would not have grilled Nawaz about the specifics of the negotiations he is planning on pursuing with the Pakistani Taliban. And this wouldve caught the prime minister offguard because he probably doesnt know who his administration will talk to or negotiate peace with. Pakistani policymakers must realise that our bilateral relationship with the US is down the tubes. Resuming strategic dialogues and promises of releasing aid are just attempts at sugar-coating hollow ties. The new government keeps chasing an unreachable objective of convincing the US government to bring to an end drone strikes the most precise lethal counterterrorism tool in its fight against terrorists which denies them safe haven in inaccessible regions. The US is mostly concerned on domestic issues, particularly the new healthcare reforms pushed through by Obama. During Nawazs visit, all American newscasters and media outlets were discussing The Affordable Care Act aka Obamacares malfunctioning website. Nawaz was nowhere in the picture and neither was Afghanistan and its future. Unless Pakistan tackles non-state actors acting with impunity from its territory, drone strikes must and will continue. Our non-seriousness towards counterterrorism has allowed others to intervene and clean up our house, which then violates our sovereignty. The issue will not settle down on its own somehow.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2013.