A measured response

It is heartening to note that the government has told the global community in general and the US in particular that the war on terrorism has cost Pakistan $120 billion over 15 years and the country has finance this war largely through its own sources. "Arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements and shifting goalposts are counterproductive in addressing common threats," the Foreign Office spokesman has been quoted as saying. The Foreign Office has articulated a measured response to growing US belligerence. Washington must stop shifting goalposts; and it is also required to abandon its policy of escape-goating.