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Pentagon says US-Pakistan relationship ‘settling’ despite setbacks
As negotiations to re-open NATO supply lines in Pakistan continue amid strained U.S.-Pakistan relations, the Pentagon said Tuesday that things are “settling” between the two countries.
The November incident in which NATO troops killed 24 Pakistani soldiers blew up an already tense relationship between Islamabad and Washington, and Pakistan closed down supply routes and called for an end to U.S. drone attacks.
U.S. and Pakistani military officials have discussed re-opening the supply lines, and the Pakistani legislature is considering measures to re-assess the U.S.-Pakistan relationship.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said at a news briefing Tuesday that discussions are continuing and the Pentagon is hopeful the routes will be re-opened in the near future.
“The relationship is settling, and even though we've been through a rocky period, we can get through it,” Little said.
Tensions between the two countries had already been on the rise last year after a U.S. Navy Seal team entered Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden, but it was the November attack that prompted the shutdown of supply lines.
The AP reported that anti-Americanism in Pakistan has hampered efforts to restore NATO supply lines, as Pakistani lawmakers do not want to be seen as helping Washington.
Saeed told the AP that the bounty on him from the United States is retaliation for his demonstrations against re-opening the NATO supply lines in Pakistan.
