As relations between Islamabad and Washington reach an all-time low, the ongoing debate of reopening US/NATO supply routes that traverse through Pakistani territory remains in question. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently acknowledged the fact that America is waging war in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region, stating that Washington is "losing patience" with Islamabad, and that Pakistan should do more to combat terrorist entities such as the Haqqani Network. As civilians are indiscriminately killed under heavy drone assaults from the United States, a separatist movement in Balochistan, a province encompassing western Pakistan, eastern Iran, areas of southern Afghanistan, directly threatens China's commercial shipping activities in the Indian Ocean. As President Asif Zardari calls for Islamabad's full membership into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Pakistan's response to its issues of internal insurgency and separatism may shape its foreign policy for years to come.
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