PAKISTANI politicians cannot disparage the United States enough, but they cannot do without it either. The latest example is the main opposition leaderhimself. First he pilloried Washington, blaming it for his and his party`s ouster from office. That claim, which he later himself called baseless, was a boon for his popularity among the gullible masses.

I wonder which country he would have blamed were there no America on earth.

Moreover, his followers and `likeminded` propagandists say the man has revived the concept of Iqbal`s khudi into the collective psyche of Pakistanis.

This, they say, will make Pakistan free of its historical reliance on the US.

If this happens, naturally, it will be a good thing. After all, who can downplay the value of self-reliance be it an individual or a nation? That should for sure be the target. However, recently, placing khudi and haqeeqi azadi on hold, the party hired lobbyists in the US to garner support and do some damage control within the power centres in Washington. What one should say about this development? Siddique Malik Louisville, USA