Top US general briefs select group of parliamentarians

[dr.umer]

Top US general briefs select group of parliamentarians ​

13 Nov 2008

ISLAMABAD, Nov 13: Commander of International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and US forces in Afghanistan General David McKiernan on Thursday distanced himself from drone attacks being carried out in Pakistan’s tribal areas and vowed to maintain pressure on militants in the upcoming winter season.

According to sources, the allied forces commander while briefing a select group of parliamentarians at the residence of US Ambassador Anne W. Patterson said that he had nothing to do with the missile attacks being carried out through US spy unmanned planes (drones) in the Pakistani tribal areas, saying: “I cannot speak on this issue as these drones do not come under my command.”

The briefing by the US general, the sources said, was attended by parliamentarians belonging to ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), National People’s Party (NPP) and the PML-Q.

Prominent among those who were present at the briefing were Tehmina Daultana, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, Ayaz Amir, Rohail Asghar and Umair Hayat of PML-N; Haider Abbas Rizvi of the MQM; Nabil Gabol, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Palwasha Behram and Farah Naz of the PPP and SM Zafar and Dilawar Abbas of the PML-Q.

The sources said it were the PML-N members who took up the issue of the continued violation of Pakistan’s air space and territorial sovereignty and showed their anger over it.

The US general told the parliamentarians that they had chalked out a comprehensive plan to “maintain pressure” on insurgency during the winter season despite weather problems.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan are suffering from instability,” Gen McKiernan said, adding that they had adopted a strategy under which development activities were also being carried out in Afghanistan.

The ISAF commander praised the role of tripartite commission – comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US-led ISAF – set up to coordinate among the three parties.

The sources said the US commander also praised Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani and said that they had a good understanding with him.

The ISAF commander also responded to the questions raised by the parliamentarians regarding the achievements of the allied forces in Afghanistan and about their plan to leave the country.

In response to a question by a PML-N member, the US general refused to give a timeframe for forces withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying that “it is upto the political leadership to decide.”

The Isaf commander told the politicians that there was a strong nexus between Taliban, Al-Qaeda, narco mafia and some foreign fighters. He also made a presentation through the use of slides on a projector.

The sources told Dawn that the Isaf commander had specially flown to Islamabad for the briefing and he had no other official engagements in the country.

Meanwhile, the briefing which the US Embassy had arranged on its own without involving Pakistan’s Foreign Office and military authorities drew criticism from the religious parties and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmed, who was also an invitee, even boycotted the briefing terming it against “the best traditions of diplomatic and political dialogue”.

Surprisingly, the criticism also came from Leader of the House in the Senate and Federal Minister Raza Rabbani who while speaking on the floor of the house acknowledged that the US Embassy had bypassed the Foreign Office in arranging this briefing. He expressed the hope that the Foreign Office would tale up this matter at an appropriate forum.

Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmad informed the US ambassador about his decision to boycott the briefing through a letter. “It would not be possible for me to attend this programme not only because the notice is too short, but also because I feel uncomfortable about a Nato Commander briefing the Parliamentarians at the residence of US Ambassador. While discourse and discussions are always useful in developing better understanding of issues which are controversial, efforts like this smack of lobbying and are not in keeping with the best traditions of diplomatic engagement and political dialogue,” the JI senator wrote.

“I wish Nato had contacted Pakistan Foreign Office to arrange for any briefing on this issue, provided the government of Pakistan also felt such a need. If the Parliament had felt such a need it could have taken initiative in this respect. The viewpoint of the Parliament on this issue has been clearly articulated in the 14-point unanimous resolution passed by the joint session on 22nd of October 2008,” he said.

He expressed his “serious reservations about the manner in which the Nato Commander and the US Embassy have thought it appropriate to contact the members of the parliament for the proposed briefing.”

It is not clear as to what exactly prompted the US commander to visit Islamabad for this special briefing, but it is believed that the language of the consensus resolution passed at the conclusion of the in-camera joint sitting of the parliament last month has impelled the US general to explain Nato’s position on the ongoing drone and missile attacks in the troubled tribal areas of Pakistan.

The resolution calls for an “urgent review of national security strategy and revisit the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability to Pakistan and the region through an independent foreign policy.” It further says,
“Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity shall be safeguarded.”

It further calls for establishing the writ of the state in the troubled zones, and confidence-building mechanisms by using customary and local communities (Jirga) and that the military will be replaced as early as possible by civilian law enforcement agencies with enhanced capacity and a sustainable political system achieved through a consultative process.”

 

[fatman17]

Joint Pakistan-US operations along Afghanistan border

* WSJ report quotes McKiernan as saying US-Pakistan ties moving in right direction
* Pakistan’s stance against Taliban has improved


LAHORE: US forces have begun working with Pakistan’s military to take on Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters along the Afghan border, a development US officials say reflects Islamabad’s new willingness to go after Taliban, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Friday.

The US and Pakistan are waging a co-ordinated military campaign known as Operation Lionheart, which involves US strikes on insurgent targets in the Kunar region of Afghanistan and a full-scale Pakistani campaign in the region of Bajaur, the report said.

According to the WSJ, US troops have recently conducted operations in Afghanistan in co-ordination with Pakistani forces across the border in Bajaur Agency. It quoted senior US official as saying they are sharing extensive real-time intelligence with their Pakistani counterparts. The two sides have also worked closely to seal the border and prevent insurgents from fleeing military operations in one country to havens in the other, the officials said.

Right direction: In an interview in Kabul, Gen David McKiernan, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said the US-Pakistani relationship now appeared to “be moving cautiously in the right direction”.

The report quoted ISPR spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas as saying support from NATO forces in sealing the Afghan side of the border helped stop the flow of Taliban fighters in Bajaur, where Pakistan says its forces have killed more than 1,500 Taliban since August. “The co-operation greatly helped our forces in combating the militants in the area,” Abbas said.

The WSJ noted the Central Intelligence Agency has used unmanned aerial drones to fire dozens of missiles into Pakistani territory recently, killing several senior Al Qaeda leaders.

Improved: The report quoted US Ambassador to Afghanistan William Wood as saying Pakistan’s stance against the Taliban ‘has improved’ since a new government led by President Asif Ali Zardari took power.

“What we’re talking about here is a new agreement or a new common understanding of what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and a new willingness to attack that unacceptable behaviour in a co-ordinated way,” Wood was quoted as saying.

US Chief of Army Staff Gen George Casey said US commanders in Afghanistan have begun meeting their Pakistani counterparts once a week. “There’s good contact going on,” he said.

http://www.thedailytimes.com.pk

 

[fatman17]

US should let Pakistan tackle militancy on own soil, says ex NATO commander

* Gen Wesley Clark urges more anti-terrorism support for Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The United States (US) should let Pakistan act against Taliban on its soil, former NATO commander General (r) Wesley Clark said on Wednesday.

"I think it is a dangerous thing for stability in the region to be too heavily overtly involved there. But, on the other hand, Pakistan needs support and assistance. And its government and military are in a very tough fight," he said.

Advising caution against US overt attacks on targets on the Pakistani side of the

Afghan border, the former top military commander and supporter of president-elect Barack Obama urged anti-terrorism help for Pakistan as well as a broader approach to regional security that should take into account tensions over Kashmir.

Clark was speaking in a CNN appearance on suggestions that the US should fire upon 'irreconcilable' terror operatives that may be hiding on the Pakistani side of the border.

"I think the more we can help Pakistan to do this work themselves, the better off we are. The more we can be in a supporting role, instead of a leading role, the more we can take - let Pakistanis' legitimate governmental institutions take the responsibility for the inevitable mistakes that occur when force is applied, the better off we are,” he said.

He said any such move must take into consideration a whole lot of aspects including the risk of collateral damage, the real value of target and the impact of firing.

On achieving success in Afghanistan, Clark said the US has to be careful on defining success in that country and advocated a regional approach that should seek to address Pakistan-India tensions over the longstanding Kashmir dispute.

He said, "I think that you have got to look at ways to see the bigger picture. The bigger picture is tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, then issues in Pakistan, and then the spill over across the border, and then the results of 30 years of ceaseless conflict in Afghanistan. So, we have got to provide economic hope in the region. We have got to provide a modicum of security.”

“We can't impose our standards on peoples there that have their own ideas. We have got to respect them, probably decentralise a little bit in Afghanistan,” he added. app

http://www.thedailytimes.com.pk