NATO supplies are unlikely lifted anytime soon

[VelocuR]

Political turmoil clouds resumption of NATO supplies

Published: June 27, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Political uncertainty over the fate of the civilian government could possibly delay the reopening of vital land routes for the US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan for a period much longer than previously expected, an official said on Tuesday.

The supply lines were shut down in November last year following a Nato cross border raid on Pakistani check posts near the Afghanistan border, an incident which resulted in the death of 24 soldiers.

In recent months, the two sides had come close to striking a deal on several occasions but certain developments put the final agreement on hold.

Now officials from both sides assess the seven-month-old ban on Nato supplies is unlikely to be lifted any time soon. One senior American official disclosed that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party government might not take a decision at all. “Given the political uncertainty and prospects of early elections, they (PPP government) think it is too risky to take such a decision,” said the official, who requested anonymity. “It may take several months,” he added.

The government’s reluctance is attributed to rapidly changing developments on the political scene in the wake of disqualification of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani from holding office. “It seems the government wants to delay its decision till some clarity is achieved on the political front,” said the official.

Given the possibility of early polls some PPP members are suggesting that the decision to reopen supply lines should be left to the next political dispensation.

A PPP member dismissed this impression, saying that the government wanted to move beyond the Salala incident but the security establishment was not ready to compromise on certain key issues. The US had shown its willingness to offer an apology. However, the military is adamant that the Obama administration should also take the sole responsibility for the November 26 incident, he pointed out.

When approached, foreign ministry spokesperson Moazam Ali Khan said both sides were working to arrive at a ‘mutually acceptable solution’ to the issue. However, he would not give any time frame for when that agreement might occur.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2012.

That's what they do in pressure tactics, see picture.

 

[Patriot]

The PPP government would love nothing more sucking up to Americans.It's just because of elections and pressure from Armed Forces that they are not doing it as you can see the quote above.
[QUOTE]A PPP member dismissed this impression, saying that the government wanted to move beyond the Salala incident but the security establishment was not ready to compromise on certain key issues. The US had shown its willingness to offer an apology. However, the military is adamant that the Obama administration should also take the sole responsibility for the November 26 incident, he pointed out.

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/pakist...likely-lifted-anytime-soon.html#ixzz1yyTe7xlV
[/QUOTE]

 

[VelocuR]

Yeah, it happened in some of countries where a single man dictator always listened to US demands. Now we have democracy which is a big tough for Americans, we continue to protest and angry on our government which make them stick firm with the support of our 180m people and Pakistan Army Forces voices.

Great progress, seven month ban is longer than we thought. Keep democracy going with our own voices!

 

[regular]

At this moment even the tactics like Hot pursuits are worthless cuz nothing is within the political leadership handz, they have to loose more than to gain.......

 

[Jango]

Everybody knows who is holding out the supply lines, and that somebody is not the PPP or government.

 

[Sher Malang]

So the supply route opening is awaited for some political interests not for the interest of Pakistani people?

 

[Black Widow]

Yeah, it happened in some of countries where a single man dictator always listened to US demands. Now we have democracy which is a big tough for Americans, we continue to protest and angry on our government which make them stick firm with the support of our 180m people and Pakistan Army Forces voices.

Great progress, seven month ban is longer than we thought. Keep democracy going with our own voices!

Exactly same thing I said in many threads. In democracy if government don't care public sentiment , public can force the govt to listen. (Through opposition, Rallies and protests). That's why America love authoritarian government for its allies.


If today a pshyco general topple your govt, America will immediately suport it..

 

[Don Jaguar]

So the supply route opening is awaited for some political interests not for the interest of Pakistani people?

What ever the interest is. It is closed and it is good.

 

[VelocuR]

Exactly same thing I said in many threads. In democracy if government don't care public sentiment , public can force the govt to listen. (Through opposition, Rallies and protests). That's why America love authoritarian government for its allies.

If today a pshyco general topple your govt, America will immediately suport it..

You are correct, I have noticed same thing.

It does work well. A small step will lead a better path to make government strong, it take alot of times and process long-terms. US can't do anything when our government follow our voice demands and public.

Irony, US is not pleased with democracy system now, lol.

 

[swathi]

US can render a apology to pakistan, they need not be so arrogant, Only a effective co-operation between US and Pakistan will provide a safe Exit passage for US in Afghanistan.

 

[regular]

US can render a apology to pakistan, they need not be so arrogant, Only a effective co-operation between US and Pakistan will provide a safe Exit passage for US in Afghanistan.

Yes! Excatly what we mean over here. US shold appologize and need not be so arrogant with its longtime ally/partner. Partners always care about each other. US needs to show that its still partner and friend not an enemy.....

 

[fatman17]

Thursday, June 28, 2012


Share | |
US paying high price for Pakistan route cut-off: admiral

WASHINGTON: Moving supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan via Central Asia costs three times as much as routes through Pakistan, which Islamabad shut seven months ago in anger, a senior US officer said on Wednesday.

“On the ground, it’s almost three times more expensive to come from the north as it does from Pakistan. More expensive and slower,” said Vice Admiral Mark Harnitchek, director of the Defence Logistics Agency.

NATO now uses an alternative network of northern routes that pass through Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Transporting a container from the United States to Afghanistan costs about $20,000, he told a group of defence reporters.

But the cost of ferrying cargo to Karachi and then over roads to the Afghan border amounts to only a third of that price, $6,500., he said.

Pakistan imposed a blockade on NATO supply convoys after 24 of its soldiers were killed by mistake in a US air strike in November along the Afghan border.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said earlier this month that the Pakistan border closure costs the United States an additional $100 million a month.

Before the route cut-off, about 30-40 percent of the fuel used by coalition forces came through Pakistan.

Fuel is now transported over land via the northern routes, while food is flown in on cargo aircraft, he said.

“It was challenging initially and we took a bit of a dip there in terms of days of supply. But now our stocks of food and fuel have never been higher,” Harnitchek said.

The supply routes were on the agenda when the commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen, met his counterparts in Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said. afp


its starting to bite!

 

[Jango]

Oh i thought that the US sometimes back said that the NDN is no problem, and perfectly viable!

What happened to that statement.

 

[Unbeliever]

And here we are no more than a week later with the supply lines re-oppened.. Great, reliable source..

 

[Oldman1]

First NATO truck crosses Pakistan border - Yahoo! News

CHAMAN, Pakistan (AP) — The first truck carrying supplies to American and NATO troops in Afghanistan has crossed the Pakistani border after a seven-month closure of the supply routes by Pakistan ended earlier this week.

The reopening is a rare bright spot in relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, which had closed the routes in retaliation for American airstrikes in November that killed 24 Pakistani border troops. Disagreements over issues like American drone strikes and Islamabad's alleged support for Taliban militants still hamper a relationship vital to stabilizing neighboring Afghanistan.

During the closure, the U.S. was forced to use more costly and lengthy routes through the former Soviet Union. After months of back-and-forth negotiation, Pakistan reopened the routes on Tuesday after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologized for the border deaths.

A paramilitary official at the Chaman border crossing, Fazal Bari, said the first truck moved across the border around noon local time on Thursday. Five hours later, no other trucks had passed.

The Chaman border crossing in the province of Balochistan is one of two used by trucks carrying supplies to Afghanistan. The other, known as the Torkham crossing, is further north in the Khyber Pass, a high mountainous area far from waiting shipments. No crossing was expected there on Thursday.

Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the deadlock over the supply line closure had threatened to hurt Pakistan's relations with NATO member countries. In a statement Thursday he said Pakistan wants to facilitate the drawdown of NATO forces in Afghanistan in order to promote peace and stability there.

The prime minister said Pakistan made it clear that its red-lines should be respected. Pakistan and the U.S. differed over how much the U.S. should pay Pakistan to transit trucks through its territory, as well as Pakistani demands that the U.S. apologize for the deadly November airstrikes. In the end they appeared to compromise with the U.S. issuing an apology but paying no extra transit fees than the $250 per truck that it was previously paying.

In the port city of Karachi, truckers were preparing for the trip. Thousands of trucks and tankers have been stuck at ports in Karachi waiting for the transit ban to be lifted as diplomatic wrangling dragged on.

"Today almost after eight months NATO supply has been started. I am taking NATO cargo to Peshawar where this cargo will be shifted to trailers taking the same to Kabul," said driver Javed Iqbal.

The chairman of Port Qasim, Mohammad Shafi, said Thursday that more than 2,500 NATO containers and vehicles have been held at the facility since the blockade began.

Getting them back on the road will take time, Shafi said, due to paperwork and customs clearance procedures.

"Once we do that, we will be able to let the supplies leave for Afghanistan," he said.

The journey is a perilous one, as the Taliban and other militant groups have threatened to attack supply vehicles in Pakistani territory. Before the closure, hundreds of supply trucks, which travel in convoys, were targeted in different areas of the country.

U.S. officials had expected the first trucks carrying NATO supplies to begin crossing into Afghanistan on Wednesday, but bureaucratic delays held that up.

The reopening could save the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars, since Pakistan's blockade forced Washington to rely more heavily on a longer, costlier route that leads into Afghanistan through Central Asia. Pakistan is also expected to gain financially, since the U.S. intends to free up $1.1 billion in military aid that has been frozen for the past year.

But the deal carries risks for both governments.

Pakistan is already facing domestic backlash, given rampant anti-American sentiment in the country and the government's failure to force the U.S. to stop drone strikes targeting militants and accede to other demands made by parliament.

President Barack Obama, in the midst of a re-election battle, faces criticism from Republicans who are angry his administration apologized to a country allegedly giving safe haven to militants attacking American troops in Afghanistan.