Powerful senator John Kerry told Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting in Islamabad on February 16, 2010 the stability of Pakistan's democratic institutions would also be a determining factor.
The US had told Pakistan that it needs to put into place a new security arrangement with India as a pre-condition for a much-sought civilian nuclear deal with Washington, according to secret US cables released by WikiLeaks.
Powerful senator and foreign policy czar John Kerry told President Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting in Islamabad on February 16, 2010, that besides a security arrangement with India, the stability of Pakistan's democratic institutions would also be a determining factor for US to consider a bilateral nuclear deal agreement on the lines of one with India.
"Pakistan's ability to reach a new security arrangement with India and the increased strength of Pakistan's democratic institutions would be necessary conditions for the US to consider civilian nuclear assistance to Pakistan," he told Zardari.
The details of the meeting is reported in a secret cable of the US Embassy in Islamabad.
The United States has termed the release of these secret documents as illegal and an act of crime. At the same time, the US has neither denied or confirmed the authenticity of each of these cable, which is said to number more than 250,000.
During the meeting, Kerry also said that the lingering AQ Khan network remained "an albatross" around Pakistan's neck, the cable said.
When Kerry asked Zardari what effect Obama's announcement of a US drawdown date had had on the possibility of success in Afghanistan, he answered that it had given a boost to those fighting against the US , but that they "live in illusion".
"Zardari doubted that the US would actually leave Afghanistan in two and a half years, adding that 'no one can afford that'," it said.
Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asked if dialogue with the Taliban was possible to which Zardari gave a qualified 'yes'.
"In specific regions, like Quetta, dialogue might be possible, but on a larger scale it was not," he said.
According to the cable, Kerry warned Zardari, that his ability to push for a liberalised trade agreement between Pakistan and the US was directly tied to Pakistan's democratic stability and continued cooperation in supporting Afghanistan and defeating terrorists.
"Kerry said that Pakistan also needed to create trade agreements with its neighbours, which would let the Pakistani public know that the GOP was committed to real economic improvement," it said.
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