U.S. -Pakistan Rift Grows

The growing tensions between the United States and Pakistan continue to widen over how much Pakistan knew about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. Tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan has been building for years. It hit a low point in the 90's when the Clinton Administration imposed sanctions on Pakistan over its nuclear ambitions, and when they tested a nuclear device in 1998.

Cooperation between the two nations have been tenuous at best on how reliable, and just how much cooperation or elements of cooperation inside the Pakistani intelligence and military have been given to radical Islamic fundamentalist groups being allowed to reside on its territory.

In 2008, Pakistani militants where responsible for a major terror attack on the Indian city of Mumbai, which resulted in the deaths of 164 people. A captured militant disclosed that he and others were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani based terrorist organization, with links to Pakistan's intelligence services.

With documents seized in the bin Laden raid, it will be interesting to see what is reveled and if evidence is found linking Pakistani involvement with shielding bin Laden. Whatever transpires, both countries need each other, and rhetoric aside, the raid puts the U.S. in a strong position as it begins debating foreign assistance to Pakistan.

It will be interesting to see how the U.S. handles this changing environment.

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