Thaindian News

Islamabad, Jan 23 (IANS) The ties between the US and Pakistan are witnessing a diplomatic thaw but it won’t be back to business as usual, said a daily.

An editorial in the News International Monday said that all the indicators are that “we are slowly returning to something resembling normalcy in our relations with the US”.

“…but it is not going to be back to ‘business as usual’.”

The ties between Islamabad and Washington hit a rough patch over the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden May 2 last year. A NATO airstrike Nov 26 last year that left two dozen Pakistan Army soldiers dead further strained the ties.

The editorial said that the outcome of the deliberations of the parliamentary committee which is considering the nature of the relationship with the Americans is yet unknown, but there are some strong hints emerging.

“Drones will not be allowed to operate from land-bases within our borders. The Shamsi Airbase has had a line drawn under it, the Americans are going to stay gone,” it said.

It said that “American trainers may be back ‘as early as April or May’ - but at agreed levels and with limitations”.

“There will be a diplomatic thaw in step with other moves, and Marc Grossman, President (Barack) Obama’s special envoy will be welcomed back after being politely but firmly told that he was not welcome here as part of his recent tour of the region.

“…The entire edifice has long needed clarity, and if there is an ‘upside’ to the Nato strike that killed our troops, then it may be that this dreadful act was the catalyst for overdue change,” it said.