Questions about the covert U.S. mission in Abbottabad, Pakistan are leading to new found frustrations in the already rocky relationship between the two countries. Some American lawmakers are skeptical that the Pakistani intelligence was unaware that Osama bin Laden was hiding just an hour’s drive from the capital city of Islamabad. Meanwhile, Pakistani officials say they will not tolerate a future incident where the U.S. military engages in a covert operation in Pakistan without the government’s knowledge. What’s next in the diplomatic game? The head of Pakistan’s army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, warned that another incident where the U.S. violates Pakistan’s sovereignty could result in a restructuring of the military and intelligence cooperation between the two nations. We talk with Hassan Abbas, a professor at Columbia University’s South Asia Institute and a former Pakistani government official. Abbas served in the administrations of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.