New Delhi: Towards the end of his last State of the Union address on January 24 President Obama said “One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the Seal Team took with them on the mission to get Bin Laden. On it are each of their names.” This was viewed quite differently in Pakistan where the attack that killed Osama bin Laden took place a few miles away from the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul.
In fact, all of 2011 has been marked by incidents that have pushed US-Pakistan relations into an ever deepening trough.
·The year started on a tense note when Raymond Davis, a former US Army soldier but employed in Pakistan with a private contractor and also with CIA, shot dead two supposedly unarmed men and one more died in January. This led to a furore that refused to die away despite interventions even by President Obama. Eventually Davis was released and flew home on March 16 after payment of US $ 2.4 million as blood money (diyya).
· One day after Davis’ release US resumed its drone attacks and 40 persons died in this attack in Datta Khel North Waziristan. This was on March 17.
· The Pakistan Army Chief, Gen Pervez Kayani reacted very strongly describing this action as intolerable and unjustified. More retaliations were to follow.
· In April 2011 Pakistan suspended supplies for three days through Pakistan for NATO forces in Afghanistan.
· The US announcement on May 2 that Osama bin Laden had been killed in Abbottabad and that US had not been informed of OBL’s whereabouts brought forward a multitude of reactions. The Pak Army notably was embarrassed, the civilian government showed its ineptitude and lack of control on the State, while the right wing was up in arms with a new display of virulent anti-Americanism. Meanwhile the Doctor who had assisted the US to help find Osama was taken into custody by the Pakistani authorities for being in touch with foreign intelligence agencies.
· The terrorist attack on PNS Mehran Karachi (May 26) which destroyed two US AWCs was a retaliation of US action that killed Osama bin Laden. This was a setback to US-Pak relations and another embarrassment for the Pak Army.
· Probably reacting to Pakistani attitudes and belligerence, Admiral Mullen reacted on 2 June saying that there would be a substantial cut in US forces in Pakistan followed by the US announcement on July 10 about the suspension, of military aid worth US $ 800 million.
· September 11 - there was a massive truck bomb explosion on the outskirts of Kabul that injured 77 US soldiers and killed five Afghans. Two days later the US Embassy and NATO were both attacked by Taliban insurgents. Seven persons died along with 19 injured. This attack as a show of strength against the symbols of US and NATO power.
· On  September 22, one week before he was to demit office, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff accused Pakistan of supporting Haqqani Network militant group in Afghanistan; from its bases in Pakistan. As expected Pakistan denied this.
· In October, the by now famous or notorious Memogate that cost Pakistan Ambassador Haqqani his job in Washington surfaced, thanks to leaks by a US citizen of Pakistani origin, Mansoor Ijaz. The memo was supposed to have been delivered to Admiral Mullen earlier in May General Pasha the ISI chief had specially flown to London for a secret rendezvous with Ijaz and it appeared that there was an intelligence overhang to this.
· At least 24 Pakistan troops killed when NATO forces fire over the border hitting an army check post in on November 26 in the Mohmand agency of FATA.
· In retaliation, General Kayani ordered that intruding drones be shot down and asked the US forces to vacate the Shamsi drone base in Balochistan, within a fortnight. (Part-II follows)
Attn: News Editors/News Desks: The views expressed in the above article are that of Mr. Vikram Sood, former R & AW Secretary