What game is Pakistan's Foreign Minister playing?

The Pakistani Foreign Minister has apparently told the US it could ‘lose an ally’ if it continues to cajole Pakistan about how little it is doing to eliminate terrorism IN the country and being exported FROM the country. Instead of responding by saying something like "Pakistan is doing all it can do, and will do even more in the future", all that she could say was that the US ‘can’t afford to alienate Pakistani people’ and that 'Pakistan is the first one to suffer because of terrorism, because of militancy. Pakistan is doing it for itself. You don't need cajoling on that, that is in our national interest.': http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/23/us-asean-usa-pakistan-idUSTRE76M1BT20110723

Unfortunately, as is evident to everyone, except apparently the Foreign Minister, Pakistan does not seem to pursue very vigorously what she claims is in Pakistan's own national interest. Or, if it is pursuiing that interest, Pakistan does not seem to want that to be known.

Even Pakistan's younger generation (the FM is 34, apparently) is quite bound by the country's Muslim "honour-shame" culture. She needs to grow up, just as the culture as a whole needs to mature, into dealing with issues as issues rather than on the basis of honour and shame: if you point out to me that something is going wrong, I should have the maturity to examine that statement on its merits rather than as an insult. Sphere: Related Content