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ISLAMABAD - A visiting American envoy held a crucial meeting with
Pakistans military chief in a low-key interaction that is said to have
largely focussed on the long contemplated full-scale military action in
North Waziristan Agency (NWA.) The meeting between Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani and the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan
and Pakistan Marc Grossman was reportedly held at the General
Headquarters (GHQ) in the evening hours of Saturday. Earlier, the same day, Grossman denied he was in the country to get it
go for NWA operation. No, I am here to continue the conversation we
have been having with Pakistani leaders over the past several
months, he said in a talk show on the state-run PTV. Hesitant to share pertinent details, the security officials sounded
dismissive on discussions regarding NWA military offensive during the
Kayani-Grossman meeting while diplomatic circles confirmed that the
proposed military offensive in NWA was high on the agenda of the
two big shots. Matters of mutual interest and peace and stability in Afghanistan
were discussed during the meeting, the officials said. Upon inquiring,
an army brigadier said, the NWA operation may have been discussed
in the meeting but it is a routine matter. But, a former US diplomat now serving in an international organisation
here said the American envoy had communicated to the Pakistans
military chief that the US wanted an immediate launch of NWA
operation. I guess theres a growing feeling in Washington that Islamabad delays
the NWA military action thinking there would be a change of guards
in Washington next month, so, lets wait, he said, referring to the
presidential election in the US scheduled for November 6. After the presidential poll, you know, a new administrative
arrangement would come into affect that does not necessarily have to
be the present one. So the pressure on Islamabad and all that would
lessen quite a bit after the Americans go into choosing their president,
he said. This is the right time for NWA action. The public sentiment in
Pakistan is against Taliban. Lets not wait for this to change, thats what many in Washington believe, he added. The ruling coalition in Pakistan was to move a resolution in the
National Assembly on Tuesday supporting the launch of the military
operation in North Waziristan but following intense opposition from
Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PML-N), a major opposition force, the
said resolution could not be moved. Credible reports suggest that the government might introduce the said
resolution after the Eid, falling on October 27. The arrival of Grossman
and his unannounced meeting with Pakistans army chief appear to
have given credence to the reports of NWA offensives launch in the
coming days. But Grossman who, who arrived in Islamabad Saturday for talks with
political and military leaders, insisted in his TV talk, That (launching of
NWA operation) is the decision for the Government of Pakistan and
solely for the Government of Pakistan. The al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network in North Waziristan, blamed for
some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan, is one of the thorniest
issues in relations between Islamabad and Washington. Washington
has long demanded that Pakistan take action against the Haqqanis,
whom the US also accused of attacking the US embassy in Kabul last
year and acting like a veritable arm of Pakistani intelligence. When asked, Grossman declined to comment on the issue of US drone
strikes, saying it is not a topic of conversation for me. What I would
like to say is that Pakistanis and Americans can stand up together and
declare the end of al-Qaeda in this region. That would be a great joint
strategic effort and that I hope will come soon. US officials say the drone strikes are a key weapon in the fight against
militants but peace campaigners condemn them as a breach of
international law. Pakistanis call them a violation of sovereignty that
breeds extremism, and politicians have accused the government of
complicity in killing its own people. Islamabad and Washington have been seeking to patch up their
fractious relationship in recent months, with Pakistan allowing the
reopening of the Nato supply route to Afghanistan, after a series of
crises in 2011 saw ties between the war on terror allies plunge. But
the attacks by unmanned US aircraft remain contentious and are
deeply unpopular in Pakistan. The US diplomat said the relationship between the two countries was
certainly back on track if you compare it with last year. What draws
our countries together in this multi-faceted relationship is the fact that
we are both victims of terrorism, which is a scourge and let us fight it
together. Grossman on Saturday also held talks with Foreign Minister Hina
Rabbani Khar which focused on a wide range of issues of mutual
interest particularly Pakistan-US relations and the regional situation,
according to an official statement. At the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs they also
expressed the commitment to continue to work together in support of
Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process and
for progress and stability in the country. The statement said the foreign minister underlined the importance of a
broad-based relationship between Pakistan and the US marked by
deeper and wider cooperation in diverse fields, while the US envoy
highlighted his countrys commitment to a long-term relationship with
Pakistan based on mutual interest and mutual respect. They both expressed satisfaction on the progress made by the
Working Group on Law Enforcement and Counter Terrorism which
recently met in Washington DC under the bilateral Strategic Dialogue
framework. They expressed the hope that Working Groups on
Economy and Finance and Energy and Water would meet soon, the
statement said. This news was published in print paper. Access complete paper of
Pakistans military chief in a low-key interaction that is said to have
largely focussed on the long contemplated full-scale military action in
North Waziristan Agency (NWA.) The meeting between Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani and the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan
and Pakistan Marc Grossman was reportedly held at the General
Headquarters (GHQ) in the evening hours of Saturday. Earlier, the same day, Grossman denied he was in the country to get it
go for NWA operation. No, I am here to continue the conversation we
have been having with Pakistani leaders over the past several
months, he said in a talk show on the state-run PTV. Hesitant to share pertinent details, the security officials sounded
dismissive on discussions regarding NWA military offensive during the
Kayani-Grossman meeting while diplomatic circles confirmed that the
proposed military offensive in NWA was high on the agenda of the
two big shots. Matters of mutual interest and peace and stability in Afghanistan
were discussed during the meeting, the officials said. Upon inquiring,
an army brigadier said, the NWA operation may have been discussed
in the meeting but it is a routine matter. But, a former US diplomat now serving in an international organisation
here said the American envoy had communicated to the Pakistans
military chief that the US wanted an immediate launch of NWA
operation. I guess theres a growing feeling in Washington that Islamabad delays
the NWA military action thinking there would be a change of guards
in Washington next month, so, lets wait, he said, referring to the
presidential election in the US scheduled for November 6. After the presidential poll, you know, a new administrative
arrangement would come into affect that does not necessarily have to
be the present one. So the pressure on Islamabad and all that would
lessen quite a bit after the Americans go into choosing their president,
he said. This is the right time for NWA action. The public sentiment in
Pakistan is against Taliban. Lets not wait for this to change, thats what many in Washington believe, he added. The ruling coalition in Pakistan was to move a resolution in the
National Assembly on Tuesday supporting the launch of the military
operation in North Waziristan but following intense opposition from
Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PML-N), a major opposition force, the
said resolution could not be moved. Credible reports suggest that the government might introduce the said
resolution after the Eid, falling on October 27. The arrival of Grossman
and his unannounced meeting with Pakistans army chief appear to
have given credence to the reports of NWA offensives launch in the
coming days. But Grossman who, who arrived in Islamabad Saturday for talks with
political and military leaders, insisted in his TV talk, That (launching of
NWA operation) is the decision for the Government of Pakistan and
solely for the Government of Pakistan. The al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network in North Waziristan, blamed for
some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan, is one of the thorniest
issues in relations between Islamabad and Washington. Washington
has long demanded that Pakistan take action against the Haqqanis,
whom the US also accused of attacking the US embassy in Kabul last
year and acting like a veritable arm of Pakistani intelligence. When asked, Grossman declined to comment on the issue of US drone
strikes, saying it is not a topic of conversation for me. What I would
like to say is that Pakistanis and Americans can stand up together and
declare the end of al-Qaeda in this region. That would be a great joint
strategic effort and that I hope will come soon. US officials say the drone strikes are a key weapon in the fight against
militants but peace campaigners condemn them as a breach of
international law. Pakistanis call them a violation of sovereignty that
breeds extremism, and politicians have accused the government of
complicity in killing its own people. Islamabad and Washington have been seeking to patch up their
fractious relationship in recent months, with Pakistan allowing the
reopening of the Nato supply route to Afghanistan, after a series of
crises in 2011 saw ties between the war on terror allies plunge. But
the attacks by unmanned US aircraft remain contentious and are
deeply unpopular in Pakistan. The US diplomat said the relationship between the two countries was
certainly back on track if you compare it with last year. What draws
our countries together in this multi-faceted relationship is the fact that
we are both victims of terrorism, which is a scourge and let us fight it
together. Grossman on Saturday also held talks with Foreign Minister Hina
Rabbani Khar which focused on a wide range of issues of mutual
interest particularly Pakistan-US relations and the regional situation,
according to an official statement. At the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs they also
expressed the commitment to continue to work together in support of
Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process and
for progress and stability in the country. The statement said the foreign minister underlined the importance of a
broad-based relationship between Pakistan and the US marked by
deeper and wider cooperation in diverse fields, while the US envoy
highlighted his countrys commitment to a long-term relationship with
Pakistan based on mutual interest and mutual respect. They both expressed satisfaction on the progress made by the
Working Group on Law Enforcement and Counter Terrorism which
recently met in Washington DC under the bilateral Strategic Dialogue
framework. They expressed the hope that Working Groups on
Economy and Finance and Energy and Water would meet soon, the
statement said. This news was published in print paper. Access complete paper of