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Pakistan, despite tremendous speculation even within the country, is not going for the Bonn conference. The Pakistan government has been left with no choice as the anger over the US/NATO attack on Pakistan border checkpoints in Mohmand Agency have virtually brought the nation together in demanding stern action against the western alliance.

No one here is in a mood for compromise, from the truck driver to the strategic expert. And while sections of the print media are advising levels of caution, the television channels have gone into a frenzy urging strong arm action against the Americans. Despite the pressure from Afghan President Hamid Karzai as well as the US and European leaders, the Pakistan top brass has decided to stay away from the Bonn conference making it clear that there was need for a full apology and concrete assurances that Pakistan's sovereignty would not be violated again.

The Pakistan army, that has lost 24 officers, has taken a hard line that rules out compromise at this stage. In a briefing here, the Director General of Military Operations Major General Ishfaq Nadeem did not mince words in describing the attack as an "unprovoked act of blatant aggression." The Pakistan army is clear that, one, the exact locations of the posts that were attacked were known to NATO; two, the area under the supervision of these posts was cleared of militants and there was no cross border activity; three, the four-border communication centres to coordinate operations were completely bypassed.

According to him, two or three helicopters arrived in the area and started firing on the post 'Volcano'. All communications systems were destroyed and in response the second Pakistan border post 'Boulder' fired at the helicopters, which then attacked this post. Twenty four Pakistan soldiers were killed in the attack that apparently continued for two hours, despite the fact that communication was established between the command centres. General Nadeem was clear that despite "repeated requests" no information about the attacks was shared.

The evident anger is shared by all sections of Pakistan society, including the liberal pro-US elite. Demand for strong action is tempered by some sections, reflected in the print media, with the need for caution with the pointer that Pakistan was dependent on the US as well and was not in a position to cut off links altogether. However, the "patch up" that seems inevitable is not going to be very easy with the consensus being that reconciliation with the US government without adequate concessions on the issue of national security and sovereignty will bring down the Zardari government.

President of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazl ur Rehman was clear that the government would have to review its relationship with the United States. He said it was impossible for the government to continue in the same manner, as it would not be acceptable to the people of Pakistan. Opposition leaders Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif have taken similar positions, making it clear that financial aid will only add insult to injury. Despite a one-on-one meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari, whose unpopularity has touched rock bottom, and the US envoy to Pakistan, there have been no signs of a thaw.

The popular theory making the rounds in Islamabad is that the Americans were tricked by sections of the Taliban into attacking the posts. But the Army briefing has ruled this out with the assertion that the exact locations of the posts were available with the joint command centres on the border. There has been no convincing explanation as yet from the Americans although a probe has been ordered into the incident. But the Pakistan army remains sceptical with General Nadeem pointing out at a briefing in Islamabad that similar enquiries had been appointed into earlier incidents of unprovoked firing on Pakistani soldiers by the US, but till this date the findings had not been given to the Pakistan government and the Army.

The Pakistan army claims that it is determined not to allow the US use of the Shamsi base again. The US army has been given two weeks to vacate the base, and while there have been statements from Washington that this is not a major blow, military analysts here say that US operations in Afghanistan will become far more cumbersome and expensive. The blockage of supply lines to the US/NATO troops is an issue of immediate concern, however. The current focus being to open the routes again. Presently photographs of hundreds of tankers blocking the highways have appeared in sections of the Pakistan media which claim that the outer deadline for supplies to run out is two weeks.

Currently both the US and Pakistan governments are finding it difficult to overstep their domestic constituencies. US President Barack Obama has had to harden his approach by refusing to apologise to Pakistan, given the Republicans' strong anti-Pakistan campaign. Similarly, President Zardari and his government cannot concede ground as the swell of public anger will spill out on to the streets and create a major crisis for the government.