Pak Army ready to address US concerns on Haqqanis Report

[kaykay]

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army is ready to address US concerns on the Haqqani network but has no intention of going after the militants in North Waziristan tribal region where the Taliban faction has its headquarters, according to a media report on Saturday.
At a meeting chaired by Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Rawalpindi on Friday, Pakistan's top army commanders expressed their willingness to lower tensions with the US by narrowing down differences on the Haqqani network, The Express Tribune newspaper quoted its sources as saying.
"Pakistan wants a constructive engagement with the US to deal with the Haqqani issue," an unnamed official familiar with the development said.
The official ruled out the possibility of a military operation in North Waziristan Agency.
"Use of force is not the answer to every problem," the official said, repeating a recent statement by Kayani.
Addressing troops participating in a Pakistan-Saudi Arabia joint military exercise in Mangla on Thursday, Kayani reportedly said military operations were not the ideal way of dealing with every issue.

His remarks are being seen as Pakistan's hardening stance on the conducting an operation in North Waziristan despite mounting US pressure.
It is unclear what exactly Pakistan is offering to the US as an alternative to a military operation to deal with the Haqqanis, the report said.
An unnamed senior military official referred to the foreign ministry's last news briefing in which the spokesperson said Pakistan's policy was guided by its national interests.
"We have our own national interests...we have certain red lines and we are very clear that we won't compromise on them," the official said.
The army's corps commanders on Friday discussed the implications of the strategic partnership agreement signed by Afghanistan and India this week.
The commanders voiced concern at allegations by senior Afghan officials that the Inter-Services Intelligence agency was involved in the assassination of former Afghan President Bhurhanuddin Rabbani.
A brief statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations after the meeting only said yesterday's meeting was part of "regular monthly meetings".
The meeting took a comprehensive overview of "routine professional matters aimed at enhancing proficiency of the army", it said.
In a separate development, US ambassador Cameron Munter met foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Friday.
A brief statement issued from the foreign office said: "Bilateral relations and the regional situation were discussed.
Both agreed to work together for strengthening bilateral cooperation and for coordination on regional issues."

Pak Army ready to address US concerns on Haqqanis Report

 

[Veeru]

Haqqani network: Pakistan’s military ready to address US concerns

By Kamran Yousaf
Published: October 8, 2011

The corps commanders are reported to have discussed possible implications of the recent strategic partnership deal that Afghanistan signed with India. PHOTO: INP
ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Army is ready to address the US concerns vis-à-vis the Haqqani network but shows no signs of going after them in the North Waziristan tribal region where, Washington believes, the insurgent group is headquartered.

At a meeting in Rawalpindi on Friday, the top military commanders expressed their willingness to lower tensions with the United States by narrowing down differences on the Haqqani network.

“Pakistan wants a constructive engagement with the US to deal with the Haqqani issue,” an official familiar with the development told The Express Tribune.

The official, who wished not to be named, ruled out the possibility of a military operation in North Waziristan – a region dubbed by the US as the most dangerous place on earth.

“Use of force is not the answer to every problem,” he said repeating the recent statement by Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Addressing the Pak-Saudi joint military exercises in Mangla on Thursday, Gen Kayani reportedly said that military operations were not the ideal way of dealing with every issue.

His remarks are being seen as Pakistan’s hardening stance on the North Waziristan operation despite the mounting US pressure.

However, it is unclear what exactly Pakistan is offering to the US as an alternative to a military operation in order to deal with the Haqqanis.

A senior military official, when approached, referred to the foreign ministry’s last news briefing in which it said that Pakistan’s policy was guided by its national interests.

“We have our own national interests … we have certain redlines and we are very clear that we won’t compromise on them,” said the official who spoke after being assured that his name would not be revealed.

The corps commanders also discussed possible implications of the recent strategic partnership deal that Afghanistan signed with India.The commanders voiced concerns on allegations by senior Afghan officials that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was involved in the assassination of former Afghan president Bhurhanuddin Rabbani.

A brief statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) did not mention any of these issues. “The conference was a part of regular monthly meetings. The forum took a comprehensive overview of the routine professional matters aimed at enhancing proficiency of the army,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter met with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to discuss the ongoing tensions between their countries.

“Bilateral relations and the regional situation were discussed. Both agreed to work together for strengthening bilateral cooperation and for coordination on regional issues,” said a brief statement issued by the Foreign Office.

An American diplomat commenting on the meeting said that the two countries were making efforts to sort out their differences.

Published in The Express Tribune, Pakistan October 8th, 2011.

Haqqani network: Pakistan

 

[53fd]

I think negotiations with the Haqqanis will start soon for the end-game in Afghanistan, & Pakistan will be instrumental to bringing them to the table. Pakistan will, quite clearly, not go after the Haqqanis. The Haqqanis might decrease their attacks on the US Forces in Afghanistan to give them an 'honorable exit'.