Pak Army, US military Relations "at worst level" since 2001

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Pakistan's Worrisome Pullback​

By Ahmed Rashid
Friday, June 6, 2008; Page A19

KABUL -- Relations between the U.S. military and the Pakistani army, critical allies in the "war on terror," are at their worst point since Sept. 11, 2001, senior Western military officers and diplomats here say, as Pakistani troops withdraw from several tribal areas bordering Afghanistan that are home to Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders and thousands of their fighters.

Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, chief of the Pakistani army, has told U.S. military and NATO officials that he will not retrain or reequip troops to fight the counterinsurgency war the Americans are demanding on Pakistan's mountainous western border.

Instead, the bulk of the army will remain deployed on Pakistan's eastern border and prepare for possible conflicts with traditional enemy India -- wars that have always been fought on the plains of Punjab. More than 80 percent of the $10 billion in U.S. aid to Pakistan since the Sept. 11 attacks has gone to the military; much of it has been used to buy expensive weapons systems for the Indian front rather than the smaller items needed for counterinsurgency.

There are also signs that Washington is delaying delivery of U.S. arms meant for the eastern front and is asking Western allies to do the same.

Remainder of article here:

washingtonpost.com

Ahmed Rashid may be sensationalizing here a bit when referring to Kiyanis statement of "not equipping the regular army for CI".

The policy to try and minimize the role of the Army and develop the capacity of the FC was taken a while back during Musharraf's time, and remains a valid policy keeping in mind the complications that arise from posting the Army in FATA.

In addition, I am not sure it is entirley correct that the Army is going to completely disengage or refues to reequip or retrain for CI.

Sections of the SSG have been training with US special forces in airborne assault etc.

I am not certain which units Rashid is referring to as having been refused to be equipped by the US. Why would they refuse to equip them for CI? That seems counter to their stated goals...

 

[vish]

I think you are reading too much into the article which otherwise does not seem to be unbiased.

Though it cannot be ignored that the USA is not happy with the peace deal and the West believes that some sections of the Pakistani establishment are sympathetic to the Taliban, nobody can ignore that the WoT cannot be fought without Pakistan for Pakistan is now the battleground for the WoT.

With regard to what the author's remarks, what does the sale of F-16s suggest?

PA and US Army relations may not be that rosy but are definitely not "at worst level."

 

[fatman17]

the carrot and stick policy is in the works...

1. outgoing NATO commander disses pakistan for peace deal
2. new NATO commander comes in and states that he will give ISAF/PA/Afghan army co-operation top priority.
3. US senators call for review of pak aid.
4. congress oks delivery of 10 F-16s.
5. US JCSC chairman praises pak efforts in WoT.

so it goes on and on and on...
the relations are very normal indeed.!

 

[muse]

It's a sad state of affairs, particularly for the US, it's international standing is pretty close to zero, the influence it chooses to exercise is all stick, the carrot as far as Pakistan are concerned, at least to my thinking, are poison.

The WOT is a dismal failure, yes Al-Qaida leadership killed or captured, but I don't think these are main players or the main bad guys, because the bad guys keep changing, the ideology still captures the imagination of way too many.

Afghanistan is a disaster, Iraq, less said the better, to prop up the peg of the US$$, you will note that the American leadership continues to threaten Iran and raising the fear of a oil shortage and therefore effecting the price of oil upward.

And now poor military to military relations with Pakistan - now, can Pakistani take advantage of this situation - I want to be pleasantly suprised, but fear that the begging bowl will take precedence - unfortunate really because what Pakistan need are not American arms but access to American markets.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Things will improve and it takes time.

It is much more on even keel that ever before right now!

 

[muse]

Indeed, and why will they improve and how? Why ought relations improve unless US finds an acceptable mission for themselves?

 

[fatman17]

Indeed, and why will they improve and how? Why ought relations improve unless US finds an acceptable mission for themselves?

the US wants others to do their bidding or work according to their liking, then only they will claim that relations are very good. pakistan may have toed the US line (due to our own weaknesses) in the near past, but i think we ourselves may have reached the limits of our one-way co-operation.

 

[kidwaibhai]

isnt this the same taliban expert guy. i think he writes for the BBC. this guy is one of those liberals in pakistan that think that everything wrong in this country is the army. i mean every report this guy files shows the army as either extremist, corrupt or cowardly. it sad that these kinds of people are the ones that are forming the image of pakistan when they are so out of touch with the pakistani mainstream.

 

[fatman17]

isnt this the same taliban expert guy. i think he writes for the BBC. this guy is one of those liberals in pakistan that think that everything wrong in this country is the army. i mean every report this guy files shows the army as either extremist, corrupt or cowardly. it sad that these kinds of people are the ones that are forming the image of pakistan when they are so out of touch with the pakistani mainstream.

they r called brown-sahibs seving their white masters!

 

[kidwaibhai]

they r called brown-sahibs seving their white masters!

i second that. what an enormous ***

 

[Neo]

US, Pakistan must try to repair relations: NYT​

NEW YORK, June 13: Commenting on this week’s bombing by US forces on an area on the Pakistan-Afghan border killing 11 Pakistani soldiers and scores of civilians, the New York Times said on Friday: “Washington and Islamabad must now do everything they can to repair relations, starting with a joint investigation and a full and public report of its findings.”

The paper said the administration should ‘quietly discuss’ with Pakistan the creation of a small, unpublicised buffer zone in which the United States would not conduct attacks unless it had hard intelligence that top Al Qaeda figures were hiding there. “That could lessen the chances of more friendly fire incidents -- if that is what happened. The effort must go far beyond that. Since 9/11, the United States has poured $10 billion into Pakistan, mostly for former general Musharraf’s army. But it has not crushed Al Qaeda or shut down Taliban safe havens”.

The paper observed: “Pakistanis have a host of grievances against the
Americans, all made far worse by the Bush administration’s decision to back
President Pervez Musharraf long after he had squandered all of his popular support -- and any claim to loyalty.”

However, it also noted that Mr Musharraf and Pakistan’s new democratically elected leaders had also failed to tell their people the truth -- that the fight against extremists was essential for their own country’s stability and security.

The Pentagon already bars American forces in Afghanistan from crossing or firing into Pakistan except to protect themselves. One American official said a Pakistani liaison officer was alerted before the strikes so that friendly troops could get out of harm’s way. The investigation must determine whether those procedures were followed and if not, why not.

The Times said: “Seven years later, the administration still needs a comprehensive plan -- integrating diplomacy, intelligence, law enforcement and economic aid. That is the only way to help stabilise Pakistan, and tamp down anti-American furies. It is also the only chance of truly enlisting its support in the long fight against terrorism.”

US, Pakistan must try to repair relations: NYT -DAWN - Top Stories; June 14, 2008