When America diverted resources from Afghanistan to the war in Iraq in 2003, it confirmed fears that Washington remained an unreliable partner in the region. This is crucial to understanding Pakistan's stubborn isolationism. 

After the abortive terrorist attack in Times Square, that policy could now set Islamabad on a disastrous collision course with Washington. General Stanley McChrystal, the US military commander in Afghanistan, flew to Pakistan for talks with Pakistan's Chief of Staff, General Ashfaq Kayani, hours after the alleged bomber was arrested. He pressed for a fresh military offensive in Waziristan, where the TTP now operates. 

The language reveals what is at stake. The American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, warned: "We've made it very clear that if, heaven forbid, an attack like this that we can trace back to Pakistan were to have been successful, there would be very severe consequences." Unnamed US officials have gone further: "We are saying, ‘Sorry, if there is a successful attack, we will have to act.'"

For all its diplomatic pressure, Pakistan remains indifferent to Washington's demands. The army's spokesman, Major-General Athar Abbas, meets me at his office in Rawalpindi. 

A large oil painting of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founder, has pride of place on the wall behind his desk. It seems to dwarf Abbas, whose elfin features can make him seem retiring and reticent, though he is refreshingly forthright when we finally get talking.

His forces are committed to fighting the TTP, who have destabilised the country. They have everything to lose if they don't. But there are disappointing caveats for those who would prefer a greater sense of urgency from Pakistan: it will clean up Fata only on its own terms and in its own time. "Nobody should expect us to leave our long-term interest and go on to entertain and accommodate [their] short-term interest," Abbas says.