Pakistan Rides out US Pressure on Haqqanis
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has stared down an unprecedented outbreak of US fury over its refusal to reign in the Haqqani network, gaining Washington little and teeing relations up for further decline.
When the retiring chief US military officer, once Pakistans best American friend, accused Pakistani intelligence of involvement in a 19-hour siege on the US embassy in Kabul, it seemed to signal a sharp change in US policy.
In unprecedented condemnation, Admiral Mike Mullen described the Haqqani network as the veritable arm of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
If they keep killing our troops, that would not be something we would just sit idly by and watch, Mullen warned on September 22.
Four days earlier, US ambassador Cameron Munter fired the starting gun on a concerted campaign to escalate pressure significantly on Pakistan.
There is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government. This is something that must stop, he told Radio Pakistan.
Islamabad denies support for the Haqqanis.
But Washington has rowed back, insisting on the importance of the alliance and stopping short, so far, of blacklisting the Haqqanis as a terrorist organisation which could classify Pakistan a state sponsor of terror.
So was there really solid intelligence linking the ISI to the embassy attack and other recent Haqqani assaults in Afghanistan?
Did the United States take a calculated decision that exerting significantly more pressure would get Pakistan to better toe the line, then step back?
Or was Mullen, days from stepping down, just at breaking point, infuriated by Pakistani refusal to isolate the Haqqanis and launch an offensive on their leadership allegedly base in North Waziristan?
The trouble, US officials say privately, is that they have no secret arsenal up their sleeve with which to force Pakistans hand.
Congress signalled it could make aid dependent on greater cooperation from Islamabad in fighting the Haqqanis and the CIA could extend drone strikes beyond the semi-autonomous tribal belt.
But sending a large contingent of US special forces into Pakistan to take out Haqqani networks could rupture the alliance and be costly in terms of lives. Bombing campaigns also risk large numbers of civilian casualties.
US options are limited as we dont want a larger war in south Asia, said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer who advised the White House on Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2009 and a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank.
Pakistan controls the single most important US supply line into landlocked Afghanistan and allows the Americans to fly through its airspace.
It could end military and intelligence cooperation, deny visas, look the other way on attacks on US interests or even shoot down US drones, writes Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Those looking for progress say that the Haqqani pressure, and more importantly the US killing of Osama bin Laden that humiliated Pakistan, have seen the military re-evaluate its decades old policy of nurturing jihadis.
They have been exposed for their inefficiency, complicity, duplicity,said economics professor S Akbar Zaidi, based in Karachi but who teaches at Columbia University in New York.
There must have been a rethink. Whether a new policy has been formulated, whether a new track has been chosen, its too early to say, he said.
Pakistan gave Mullens remarks a measured response, uniting military and political leaders behind calls for peace at a rare cross-party conference.
I think they (Pakistan) actually won Its actually a sign of a maturing diplomatic response, said Zaidi.
One Western senior official in the United States said the administration had been effective in decreasing the reliance on Pakistan for the supply routes.
It got the Pakistanis attention in terms of a decreased leverage that theyd have over the US and in terms of decreased revenues also, he said.
But Markey paints a bleak future, seeing interests as irreconcilable.
Theres precious little evidence to suggest that the trajectory of the US-Pakistan relations will go anywhere but downhill, he wrote.
In CBS Evening News interview with Scott Pelley in the United States, Pakistan Foreign Minister categorically stated that the Government of Pakistan was reaching out to USA whereas the sentiments of the people was extremely hostile.
This means and proves that there is an abysmal gap between the Government and the People of Pakistan which in turn raises the crucial question: “Who then is the fatherless Democratic Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan representing if it is not taking into account the strong views and sentiments of the People of Pakistan?
Since, according to the statement of Pakistan Foreign Minister it was the Government not the people of Pakistan trying to reach out to USA then the shameless, treacherous and corrupt Government of Pakistan must be reaching out to USA, like its US American Ambassador to USA, to protect its own interests and not the interests of the people it is supposed to represent.
What a shameless and an unscrupulous Government indeed. It is of the only kind in the world I am sure.
The People of Pakistan will end up paying the price for the follies of its dastardly Government and, if they have any self-respect self-esteem and pride left, they would be justified if they were to undertake justified Islamic Jihadist movement against such a Government and end up by hanging this Government naked in the streets for all to see and refuse to back up any false move falsely made by the Government in the name of national solidarity.
This corrupt Government has done nothing but to heap up, nationally and internationally, shame, humiliation and death upon 180 million people of Pakistan.
All the Pants/Trousers of American Administration very specific of OBAMA – in totality — WET since issuance the Waring of COAS — this was – issued a crystal clear WARNING to CIA & American/NATO forces as appeared in the Local Newspapers — in the US — Look who is Talking —– What ? —– Check the TONE & compare with the PREVIOUS one which was issued earlier therein — Pak Army & ISI was badly charged!
US President Obama says we have done an outstanding job of going after al Qaeda in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. We would not have been as successful there without the help of Pakistan. Obama says Pakistan has been a great partner on a whole range of issues but Pakistan has hedged their bets on Afghanistan by interacting with unsavory characters.
Kindly all the Commentators must remember an earlier query — Who will BLINK First? Then pls. Read this Poetry.
Bari BAAT –Kurnay- Say- Pehlay – Rakhay – Yaad – Apni – Auqat-
Nahi Tu – Juld – Yah – Badair – Tu Kiya – Aur – Kiya Teri – Zat–Pat-
The above statement/comment may echo words of great wisdom as we see that behind all the problems are the Government’s of Both Pakistan and the United States.
Some seem to forget that Colin Powell told the Taliban that they (My Country the US) Had a White Paper that linked Bin Laden to 9/11 and the Taliban was to be given that Proof and upon that proof the Taliban would give the US Bin Laden via a neutral 3rd party country. That evidence never came from the US.
In fact it was George W. Bush that said, “We Know He is Guilty” and with that knowing that 15 of the 19 said Terrorist were of SAUDI Origin the US Attacked another Country Afghanistan. Reason being that these Terrorist’s played on Monkey Bars in the Afghanistan Desert. But is the Afghanistan Government responsible for what Citizens of the Saudi Government do?
When the US was playing it’s War Games in the Desert of Northern Iraq and “Pretending” that it was fighting Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Would Iran had the “Right” to Attack Iraq for the actions of US Citizens on Iraqi Soil? I don’t think so, What we have here is a Known FREE PASS for the Saudi’s both in the United States both in their activities in California, The FBI that Lived with those 2, The White House hiding that FBI agent from the 911 Commission and Bush flying the Bin Laden family out of the USA after 9/11 when the Skies were in Lock Down. Or a No Fly. Even now there are those in Congress that say the White House was involved in a Cover-up of the Saudi Connections.
Yet for some reason, The US had to go into Afghanistan, This is spilling over now to Pakistan and the game of He Said She Said has started. I can only guess that Someone? Wants Total War. If that man is in the White House, They need to have him give back his Peace Prize. Peace never comes at the end of a Rifle.
MWM