The revelation by The New York Times that President Bush secretly approved in July a ground assault inside Pakistani territories by American Special Operations forces without prior approval of the Pakistani government is very disturbing. This not only puts the agenda of the Bush Administration under scrutiny, but also manifests its Pharaonic ego and exposes the administration's utter disregard for sovereignty and self-respect of a nation. The presence of Al-Qaeda elements in border areas of Pakistan does not give any justification to any outside forces to violate any country's sovereignty. It is against recognized international conventions and UN charters. The cross border attacks by the US forces have angered authorities in Pakistan, which is a US ally on war against terror. The usually media-shy army chief of Pakistan Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in an unusual rebuke said such unilateral attacks undermined joint efforts to fight terror. On Thursday Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani endorsed Kayani's statement, calling it an official Pakistan government opinion and policy. The Pakistan government had earlier summoned the US ambassador over ground infiltrations by US forces, but Kayani's statement must send a clear warning to the Bush Administration. Pakistan's ambassador to Washington Husain Haqqani was right when he said during a speech Friday that unilateral action by the American forces does not help the war against terror because it only enrages public opinion. This new revelation is definitely going to sour the Bush Administration's relations with the new Pakistani government. The US must realize that such actions defeat its very purpose; it creates more animosity and hatred among the people. If the Bush Administration has to achieve any success in its war on terror, it must rely on its allies and let them deal with the situation in their backyards in their own way. __
