Stop treating Pakistan as a 'hired help': Maleeha Lodhi

Washington, Dec.12 (ANI): Former Pakistan Ambassador Dr Maleeha Lodhi has asked the United States to stop treating Pakistan as a mere "hired help".

She was speaking at a panel discussion held at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

"The relationship between Pakistan and US is precarious and facing is increasing hostility,"the Daily Times quoted her as saying, adding that "a trust deficit has emerged between the two nations".

Commenting on the phrase "War on Terror", she said, "There is a need to change the rhetoric, because the war on terror was a very unfortunate metaphor as it has led to the popular perception in the Middle East that the US is fighting a war on Islam."

Lodhi called for a strategy that mutually reinforces the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan."A strategy for the stabilisation of Afghanistan cannot lead to the destabilisation of Pakistan," she said.

Lodhi, who represented Pakistan twice in the US and once in the UK, said that US president-elect Barack Obama's administration would need to stabilize the situation both in Afghanistan and Pakistan at the same time if it is to root out terrorists.

She blamed the Bush administration for its policies of destablising Pakistan.

"There is an urgent need for the US to redefine goals and to do so with clarity," she said.

Commenting on US's attitude of going round the world and solving problems between other countries, Lodhi described it as a "fire brigade" which rushes from situation to situation putting out fires rather than taking a proactive stance to prevent them. (ANI)