Political India: Engaging America

Ambassador Husain Haqqani, has always been a man walking a tightrope and now he may be reaching the end of the line.

While he has still not packed his bags and returned to Islamabad, sources here indicated that he might well be on “slippery ground,” especially since he was “considered close to Washington but GHQ dislikes him”.

Dissatisfaction with his actions were said to echo past trends, where he was seen as not lobbying sufficiently for the interests of the military and intelligence apparatus on Capitol Hill, preferring to promote the civilian leadership. Indicating that l'affaire Haqqani may be high on the discussion agenda and the topmost levels of the Pakistani state it was noted that General Kayani called upon President Asif Ali Zardari on two consecutive days this week “and every time it was said security issues were discussed”.

Reportedly the word in the Pakistani embassy here is he “would like to do Washington's bidding more readily then Islamabad's.” In the past few days rumours added grist to this mill when some media alleged that Mr. Haqqani holds a U.S. passport and that he had sought asylum in the U.S. — both charges that he has denied.

Nevertheless long-time observers of the establishment added that the Mr. Haqqani “is said to be a master at manoeuvring minds in his favour... a feature that is said to help him secure high offices,” suggesting there may be a sliver of a chance that he could survive this episode.

Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Haqqani's past role as a journalist and his colourful presence on micro-blogging website Twitter may presage an opportunity for the eloquent diplomat. Even if he loses his job he may well be able to spin this into an opportunity by chronicling his adventures as the martyr for democracy who stood up against the mighty Pakistani military.