A candid admission of the Defence Minister of Pakistan is cited above. Earlier too he was bold in admitting that Pakistan did dirty work for the US in last cycles of geopolitics. However, these admissions have always lacked honesty. On the heels of first admission Pakistan seemed all poised to yet again do dirty work for the US.
US-Pakistan relationship has all along been transactional. Every time Pakistan opts to side with the US, every time it gets bitten. Seven decades are good enough for the wise to pick up a pattern. Its not that we fail to understand these common sense issues, rather our vested interests have always betrayed our intelligence. Thus the basic question is, are we fooled? Or we ourselves get befooled? Latter seems more applicable.
There is a famous injunction of Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) “Momin kabhi aik surakh se do baar nahi dasa jata” (A believer is not stung twice from the same hole). Ironically we got bitten so many times. Each time we thought the US was sincere to us, each time we faced the reality. This time the reality dawned so early.
The US has displayed a characteristic and they don’t deserve a blame. It’s those who fall victim to temptations of vested interests who must carry the burden of blame. An honest cost benefit analysis of Pakistan’s alliance with the US will prove that Pakistan lost more and gained less. Still we are incapable and incapacitated to think of cutting this reliance. While the nature is pushing us in another direction, we find comfort, solace and vested interests in sticking to old direction. The world is gravitating to China and iron-clad brother of China seems ambiguous.
The situation in and around Pakistan demands that we should focus on our national interests. Once Sri Lanka faced the scourge of insurgency, Raja Pakase, then President of Sri Lanka gave a model comprising eight principles to win this war. Sri Lanka did win. Two principles read, “hell with the world we will do what is right for the country and we cannot do it without support of neighbors”. Today’s Pakistan may be viewed in context of these tested principles. Though we are wiser than Raja Pakase, however it seems we are bent upon damaging Pakistan while serving our egos and vested interests.
Sammilogger 
I agree with you. Our national interests should dictate our nature of relationship with the others. Here apparently, it appears that we have good relations with the US and others but don’t know at what cost? No one knows what happened in the famous lunch at White House. Not even the Parliament or Cabinet. I again agree with your statement, “it seems we are bent upon damaging Pakistan while serving our egos and vested interests.”
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