As senior Pakistani, US and Afghan diplomats hold crucial talks here tomorrow (Tuesday) on the reconciliation process between the Karzai government and the Taliban, Pakistan will tell the United States plainly that it must stop the slander campaign against the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) if it wants Islamabad to use its ‘good offices’ to persuade the Taliban militants to shun violence and engage in meaningful dialogue with Kabul.
US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawid Ludin and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, along with the senior civilian and military officials from the three sides, will hold the forth trilateral meeting here to review the progress made so far in the Karzai-Taliban peace talks backed by Washington, but diplomatic circles here say that these vital negotiations will be focused more on the ongoing Pak-US tensions than the Afghan reconciliation process.
The Obama administration apparently seeks quick repair to the damage to its counter-terrorism cooperation with Islamabad but some recent acts on its part have deeply perturbed the policy makers in Islamabad, including the military establishment. The arrest of Washington-based Kashmiri leader Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai coupled with charges leveled against the ISI of paying him money to lobby for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue and the withholding of $800 million in military assistance to Islamabad has not gone over well with Pakistani authorities and all this has come in the wake of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s killing in Abbottabad on May 2 in a covert US raid that led to deep unrest among military ranks and cadres.
“On one hand they (Americans) send emissaries to lower the tensions but on the other hand the anti-Pakistan slander campaign is on with focus on the country’s major spy agency, ISI. These two things can’t go together and they have to demonstrate that Washington is serious in repairing the damage,” said a senior Pakistani official here, who asked not to be named. “Now Grossman is coming to Pakistan with a ‘we want peace’ message but our message for the US administration is plain and simple: stop this anti-Pakistan campaign, stop slandering the ISI, and only after that they can expect the revival of full intelligence cooperation between Islamabad and Washington,” he added. On CIA chief’s departure, he said: “Yes, that’s true, and it’s a good development.”
PRESENCE OF CIA OPERATIVES: He said Pakistan would also raise with Grossman another vital issue: that of the presence of some CIA operatives still on Pakistani soil in the guise of diplomatic staff. A Pakistani diplomat, who also sought anonymity, said the US special representative was arriving here to participate in the trilateral meeting at a critical juncture when the US had started phased withdrawal of its forces from the war-torn Afghanistan.
“For success in Afghanistan, the US officials know that Pakistan’s role is most vital and the recently taken anti-Pakistan steps such as the suspension of military aid, are aimed at pressuring Pakistan to help restore peace in the neighbouring country and pave the way for an ‘honorable exit’ of American troops from there,” he said. “They must know that Pakistan’s cooperation shall not be taken for granted and they would have to treat us fairly if they want this help and assistance,” he added.