国际英语新闻：Pakistanis show rare unity to criticize U.S. court verdict

The U.S. court verdict was also felt by Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, who used his speech in the Senate on Friday to come up with offer to exchange American prisoners for the release of Siddiqui to cool down the already charged Pakistani environment.

Siddiqui's conviction will not only take the anti-American sentiments to a high level but will also create political problems for the Pakistani government which may affect the war on terror. The U.S.-Pakistan partnership is critical in addressing global terrorist threats. But according to the experts the partnership is threatened by already anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, a country the U.S. needs to succeed its war on terror in al-Qaida and Taliban.

The U.S. has already had trust deficit in Pakistan over the U.S. drone strikes on militants in Pakistan's tribal areas and Siddiqui issue will lead to widespread anti- American feeling in Pakistan, experts believed.

Washington had been trying to win hearts of the people in its rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit areas of Pakistan but the jail term handed down to Siddiqui will overshadow the American efforts.

The U.S. had tried to take advantage of the floods devastation and go directly to the people of Pakistan and it had done to some extent in the insurgents-hit Swat valley after the July's floods. But sensitivity of Siddiqui case has washed away all American trust-build efforts in Pakistan.

Many Pakistani believe that their government had rendered uNPRecedented sacrifices for the U.S. in the war on terror since 2001. They recall that Islamabad has even arrested and handed over many foreign militants, including several top al-Qaida operatives to the U.S. but the American administration did not extradite only one Pakistani lady Dr. Aafia Siddiqui despite requests by the people and the government.

This thinking may prove a major blow to the American efforts to fill the already huge trust gap between the people of Pakistan and the U.S. as majority in Pakistan strongly believe that Washington has always used the Islamic Republic for its own objectives.