Report: Pakistani PM warns US against expecting 'business as usual'

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday said Washington should not expect “business as usual” with his nation after a controversial NATO air strike became another blow to relations between the two nations.

The air strike reportedly killed as many as 24 Pakistani soldiers in the northwestern part of that nation, further cooling the already icy relationship between U.S. and Pakistani leaders. NATO officials said Sunday they had reason to believe Pakistani forces fired on alliance troops, but Islamabad has denied that claim.

“If I cannot protect the sovereignty of my country, how can I say it is on mutual respect,” Gilani told CNN, according to an International Herald Tribune report.

Gilani said the reluctant allies must focus on matters of mutual respect and mutual interests.

American officials and lawmakers have said recently they feel their Pakistani counterparts are failing to live up to those standards.

Pakistani officials want new assurances from Washington if they are to continue the shaky relationship, he said.

“We need to have something bigger to satisfy my nation,” Gilani said, though the report indicated he did not disclose specifics.

The Obama administration has been largely quiet since the Saturday strike. The Pentagon and State Department issued a joint statement that evening saying U.S. officials had spoken to their Pakistani allies and sending condolences for those killed.

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