Amid rising tensions with the United States, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani convened a special meeting of corps commanders on Sunday, the second one this month, clearly reflecting the escalating tensions between Islamabad and Washington.
Pakistan’s top military brass voiced deep concern over the US allegations that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was “exporting” terrorism to Afghanistan through the Haqqani network, and warned Washington against any unilateral military action in North Waziristan as it would be met by a “befitting response”.
The six-hour meeting was focused on how to deal with any situation arising out of possible breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty by US troops following the “harsh statements” by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other American officials who publicly accused the ISI of exporting terrorism to Afghanistan through the powerful militant outfit, the Haqqani network.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which told the media about the unusual corps commanders’ meeting on Sunday morning, did not release any statement at the end of the deliberations to elaborate on the nature of discussion. However, a security official privy to the meeting said on condition of anonymity that the military commanders rejected the US accusations as unfounded and baseless.
“The army commanders also vowed that any outside ‘misadventure’ within Pakistani borders would be matched with a ‘befitting response’ and hence the US must refrain from any such act,” he said. “The Pakistan Army’s leadership doesn’t want to pick a fight with the US-led NATO forces but it will not allow anyone to breach the country’s sovereignty,” the official said. He said the military commanders also raised their concerns about recent border incursions into Pakistan by Afghanistan-based Taliban militants.
“The army leadership expressed concern about the inability of NATO troops and Afghan army to stop the cross-border attacks from Afghanistan in Chitral and Dir,” he said. “The army commanders also expressed their desire for all political forces to stand united and come up with full backing to the armed forces in the face of serious threats to the country’s sovereignty,” he added.
He said the issue of a North Waziristan operation demanded by the US was also discussed during the corps commanders’ meeting and the military top brass decided that an operation in the tribal area would not be carried out owing to serious constraints that the army was facing because of being engaged in operations against terrorists in various areas of the country.
The official said that the army chief would soon call on the president and prime minister and apprise them of what transpired during the meeting. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Khalid Shameem Wynne earlier met US Central Command chief General James Mattis. “Both leaders discussed various matters of mutual interests and the emerging geo–strategic situation in the region,” said an ISPR statement issued after the meeting between General Mattis and General Wynne.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS: “CJCSC expressed his concern about the negative statements emanating from the US. He stressed upon addressing the irritants in the relationship which are a result of an extremely complex situation. He reiterated that Pakistani armed forces were committed to achieving enduring peace in the region, which would only be possible through mutual trust and cooperation,” it said. General Wynne, who was scheduled to travel to Canada, also postponed his visit in light of the tension with the US.
In a separate statement, the US embassy said that in his meetings with General Kayani and General Wynne, General Mattis emphasised the vital role the Pakistan military played in international security efforts to protect the Pakistani and Afghan people and the need for persistent engagement among the militaries of the US, Pakistan and other states in the region. A diplomatic source in Islamabad, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the statement issued by the US embassy was part of efforts to defuse the mounting tensions between Islamabad and Washington.
“The Western diplomatic circles in Islamabad feel that the US is trying to exert pressure on Pakistan as much as possible for a North Waziristan operation, but it also is for retaining its relationship with Pakistan owing to extreme importance of Islamabad vis-à-vis the ongoing war on terror. The US authorities are fully aware that their interests in Afghan would receive a severe blow if Pakistan is alienated completely and it walks out of the US-led global counterterrorism alliance,” he said.
Military top brass talks tough to United States
