Pakistan: a new envoy at a crucial time

Pakistan surprised many political observers by appointing a former journalist and outspoken rights activist to be its new envoy to the United States.

Sherry Rehman steps into the role at a crucial and controversial time when relations between the two countries are seen as deteriorating.

The announcement came a day after the resignation of Husain Haqqani in the midst of a scandal now dubbed "Memogate". It revolves around a letter Haqqani allegedly wrote suggesting Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, might rein in Pakistan's army and spy agencies in exchange for US help against any military coup. The claims were made by a US-based lobbyist who leaked the memo he says he was asked to deliver.

Rehman is considered qualified for the task of balancing a delicate relationship. She is known as a fiery advocate of free speech, democracy, and human rights.

In her Twitter profile she says, "Will take a bullet for the motherland but hope our children don't have to."

Her campaigning on thorny issues like overturning Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws earned death threats from militants and for a while she went into hiding. She has also spearheaded legislation against the grim tradition of honour killing.

Rehman was Pakistan's Information Minister until she quit in 2009 in a dispute over restrictions on the media. It is her history of sparring that made her an unlikely candidate for the job. Yet Ali Dayan, Pakistan's director for Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter that it "suggests that the military has failed to assume complete control of Pak-US relations."

Much of Rehman's time has since gone into the Jinnah Institute, a think tank she founded. It recently released a joint report with the United States Institute for Peace about Pakistan's 'endgame' in Afghanistan and the rising influence of India there.

Afghanistan will be central to Rehman's new role and this is where U.S.-Pakistan diplomacy is frayed.

It may prove a juggling act: On one hand there are US expectations that Pakistan's military sever ties with and hunt down Taliban militants. On the other, there is deep suspicion among Pakistan's powerful generals of America's intentions in Afghanistan. Adding to it all is the perennial concern of rival India's growing influence.

(In this March 31, 2008 file photo, Sherry Rehman is seen in her office in Islamabad, Pakistan. AP Photo)

Rehman, a glamorous woman known for her love of art and fashion, is likely to be well-received in official Washington as the public face of a diplomatic pairing that often operates in the shadows. Her history with Pakistan's army is seen as neither friendly nor ruled by animosity.

Haqqani called her a "dedicated democrat". In what might read as a sign of relief he also tweeted: "Ah! To wake up in my motherland, without the burden of conducting Pakistan's most difficult external relationship."

But quitting does not ease Haqqani's problems. He faces criticism, suspicion, and an inquiry into the memo scandal that dealt another blow to Pakistan's image. Relations between the government and military are already strained. Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, said Haqqani's resignation was justified because "his act was treasonous."

@janisctv