Tensions emerge in Pakistan-US relations
Trust Is Issue

The body language said it all.

The normally urbane and mild-mannered Pakistani Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was firm and spoke in categorical terms. Meanwhile, Richard Holbrooke chatted quietly with Admiral Mike Mullen - an act that, whatever the intention, was perceived as rude and contemptuous by those present.

The US special envoy and chairman of joint chiefs of staff were holding a press conference with Mr Qureshi after "frank" discussions.

They were on their first visit to Pakistan since Barak Obama unveiled his new strategy to fight the Afghan war. The American president has placed Pakistan firmly at the centre of it, stressing the importance of eliminating alleged al-Qaeda and Taleban "safe havens" in the country's border region near Afghanistan.

Mr Holbrooke and Adm Mullen had come to discuss the detail of the strategy and deepen co-operation. Instead, their visit highlighted quite publicly clear differences between Pakistani and American views.

"We're putting on as much pressure as the system can bear," he said, "but we're not beating up on anyone."

But the Pakistani perception is that they are. Both the army and the ISI have rigorously denied the charges. And a security source told the BBC that the Americans had been given a sharp message to back off.

The Army Chief of Staff, General Ashfaq Kiyani, explained that "this kind of criticism was in no way helping us".

At the root of this public discontent is Pakistani frustration with perceived American high-handedness.

Analysts say the army feels it's being treated like a hired gun. Dawn Newspaper echoed that sentiment: "The Pakistani stance came as a rude shock to the Americans, who had so far been taking the civilian and military leadership for granted."

"The bottom line," Mr Qureshi said at the press conference, "is the question of trust… We can only work together if we respect and trust each other. There is no other way, nothing else will work."