Nuclear armed, a haven for terrorist groups and on the front line with Afghanistan, Pakistan bears directly on British and American interests. It is a transit route for fuel and military material to Afghanistan. Its security forces fight al-Qaeda in its own tribal badlands. Three out of four UK terrorist plots have links in the region. In short, Pakistan matters.
President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to London this week therefore comes at a crucial moment. Arguably it is Pakistan, not Afghanistan, that now poses the greatest security threat in the region. Following the offence taken over David Cameron's justified accusation that the country looks “both ways” in Afghanistan, relations must be brought back on an even keel. But to do so we must face up to realities.
Pakistan is in the grip of multiple crises, the current tragic natural disaster being but one. Its precarious stability will be jeopardised further if Mr Zardari proves to be right and the war against the Taliban is being lost. Pakistan's security forces have already lost more lives tackling militancy since 2001 than all 47 countries in Afghanistan. The weakness of non-military institutions has been obvious during the inept civilian response to the current floods. Pakistan's economy, meanwhile, runs on IMF assistance, while poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are widespread.