US Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that Pakistan had to choose between helping the Haqqani network and helping the US fight al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the border regions of Pakistan, also stressing that the US must have “all options on the table” to deal with growing concerns about official Pakistani support of terrorism.
Graham (R-SC), when asked on Fox News Sunday if that included the possibility of military action against Pakistan, said: “We need to put Pakistan on notice.” Graham’s comments came in the wake of charges by US military officials that Pakistan’s intelligence community played a role in the recent terrorist assault on the US Embassy in Kabul.
“It destabilises Afghanistan. They’re killing American soldiers. If they continue to embrace terrorism as part of their national strategy we’re going to have to put all options on the table, including defending our troops,” Graham said. “The idea of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies supporting terrorism as a national strategy needs to come to an end,” he added. Graham said Washington should reconsider assistance to Pakistan and noted last week’s approval by a Senate committee of $1 billion to Pakistan for counter-terrorism operations.
The panel made that and any economic aid conditional on Islamabad cooperating with Washington against militant groups, including the Haqqanis. The senator did not elaborate on what US military action he would advocate if the situation did not change. “I am saying that the sovereign nation of Pakistan is engaging in hostile acts against the United States and our ally Afghanistan,” he said.
