A former American Ambassador to Pakistan has underscored the importance of the South Asian country for the United States amid strains in Islamabad-Washington relations over the Raymond David affair that have led to calls for the cut-off of US aid.
"Like it or not, Pakistan is our lifeline," Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin was quoted as saying in the course of a New York Times' dispatch Sunday on the activities of the detained CIA operator and the adverse impact his action in shooting dead two Pakistani men has had on the US-Pakistan relationship.
Ms. Chamberlin said that America's relationship with Pakistan remains essential for security in the region. There are many reasons for continuing the relationship with such a "large and strategically important country", she said. At the very least, she said, the appetite of the Afghan war makes ending the relationship impossible, because there are no better routes over which to transport all the military supplies that currently are shipped through Pakistan.
The Times' dispatch had acknowledged that Davis' shooting had 'complicated' American attempts to portray him as a 'paper-shuffling diplomat who stamped visas as a day job', generated an extraordinary swirl of recriminations and confirmed suspicions for many Pakistanis that America has deployed a secret army of spies and contractors inside the country. It has also called unwelcome attention to a bigger, more dangerous game in which Davis appears to have played just a supporting role," it added.