US-Pakistan alliance under strain

Pakistan’s army chief will convene a special meeting of senior commanders today following US allegations that the military’s spy agency helped militants attack American targets in Afghanistan, the army said.

Senior Pakistani officials have lashed out against the allegations of support for the Haqqani militant network, accusing the US of trying to make Pakistan a scapegoat for its troubled war in Afghanistan. The public confrontation has plunged the already troubled US-Pakistan alliance to new lows.

Pakistan’s leaders have shown no indication that they plan to act on renewed American demands to attack the Haqqani network in its main base in Pakistan, even at the risk of further conflict with Washington. The US has given Pakistan billions of dollars in military and economic aid, but the relationship has been riven by mistrust.

The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, last week accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency of supporting Haqqani insurgents in planning and executing a 22-hour assault on the US Embassy in Afghanistan on September 13 as well as a truck bomb that wounded 77 American soldiers days earlier.

Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, widely considered the most powerful man in Pakistan, has dismissed the allegations, saying the charges were baseless and part of a public “blame game” detrimental to peace in Afghanistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also slapped down the accusations in a statement issued late on Saturday.

“We strongly reject assertions of complicity with the Haqqanis or of proxy war,” Mr Gilani said in a statement. “The allegations betray a confusion and policy disarray within the US establishment on the way forward in Afghanistan.

Pakistan claimed to have severed its ties with Afghan militants after the 9/11 attacks and supported America’s campaign in Afghanistan, but US officials have long suspected it maintained links. The comments by Admiral Mullen, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were the most serious yet accusing Pakistan of militant ties, although he didn’t cite any specific evidence.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has implied that American forces could even carry out unilateral raids inside Pakistan against the Haqqani network, operations that could have explosive implications in Pakistan where anti-American sentiment is widespread.

Pakistanis were outraged by the covert US commando raid that killed al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in a garrison town not far from Islamabad in May. The US did not tell the Pakistani government about the operation beforehand for fear bin Laden would be tipped off.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar warned the US on Saturday against sending American troops into Pakistan, saying there are red lines and rules of engagement that should not be broken.

“It opens all kinds of doors and all kinds of options” for Pakistan to respond, she told Pakistan’s private Aaj News TV from New York. The comment was in response to a question about the possibility of US troops coming to Pakistan.

Despite the seriousness of the US claims, which appear to accuse Pakistan of state-sponsored terrorism, Admiral Mullen and other US officials have said Washington needs to keep engaging with Islamabad, a reflection of its limited options in dealing with the country. Washington is also concerned about the danger of further instability in the nuclear-armed state.

The head of US Central Command, General James Mattis, called for continued cooperation following a meeting with Kayani in Islamabad. In a statement issued today by the US Embassy, General Mattis emphasised “the need for persistent engagement among the militaries of the US, Pakistan and other states in the region.”

General Mattis also met with Pakistani military’s chief of staff, General Khalid Wynne, who expressed his concern about “negative statements emanating from the US” and stressed the need to address “the irritants in the relationship,” according to a statement issued by the military.

Around half of the US war supplies to Afghanistan are trucked over Pakistani soil, and even as it accuses Islamabad of complicity with Afghan insurgents, Washington knows that it will likely need Islamabad’s cooperation in bringing them to the negotiating table.

Mr Gilani also called for greater cooperation.

“Let’s avoid mutual recrimination and recommit ourselves to working together for eliminating terrorism and for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan,” he said.