Pakistan can bring Haqqanis to the table, US told

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Pakistan on Tuesday offered the United States that it could facilitate negotiations between Washington and the Haqqani network in a bid to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan. This latest offer to the US has surfaced following “positive” signals from the Americans for normalising the relations between the two countries that got strained with statements from the outgoing top general, Admiral Mike Mullen. For months Pakistan has been urging the US for a peace dialogue with the Haqqani network but this suggestion has so far been turned down by the US, as the White House renewed demands for an operation against the Haqqanis on Tuesday.
A Pakistani official requesting anonymity said, “Pakistan has, however, refused to launch an operation in North Waziristan and has rather proposed to the US through diplomatic channels that it could still facilitate a meaningful dialogue between Washington and the Haqqani network which will lead to the restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan.”As a positive gesture, US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman made a phone call to Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani and said that the differences over the Haqqani network would not be allowed to affect bilateral ties. In a related development, US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter met Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir for the second time in two days at the Foreign Office to discuss ways to bridge the gulf between the two states. In a late night development, Munter also called on President Asif Zardari and discussed with him ways to defuse the
tension between the two countries, a private TV channel reported.
“Pakistan has also sought the help of Saudi Arabia and China to resolve the current row with the United States, and Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Meng Jianzhu has assured Pakistan’s political and military leadership that Beijing would do whatever it could to resolve the row between Pakistan and the US,” the official said. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said that Pakistan had made “important contributions in the international fight against terrorism”.
He said, “China understands and supports Pakistan formulating and implementing its counter-terrorism strategy based on its national conditions.”
Meanwhile in a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi at the United Nations on Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly urged Beijing to open a dialogue with Washington on Pakistan.
“We have stated this before, but there’s clearly an urgency given recent developments and also given the close relationship that exists between Pakistan and China,” a US State Department official said in a briefing to reporters.
Another Pakistani official said that the nature of stalemate with the US was very serious and it would be naïve to expect that tensions would be gone soon.
“However, with the help of friendly states like China it is hoped that the process of de-escalation would gain momentum in coming days and will help Islamabad and Washington to resolve their confronting issues such as that on Haqqanis,” he said.

9 COMMENTS

  1. What a consolation !!!!!!
    "Pakistan can bring Haqqanis to Table" hahah . Of course Pakistan can as Haqqanis are on its payrolls.

      • Hamza Ali I am very disappointed in you. Choose your language carefully. Harleen is probably a female name and your teaching tells you to respect everyone especially woman. This is a disgrace. Pakistanis must aspire highest standard of respectable behaviour.

        • The website admin should have seen those disgraceful remarks and disallowed them from appearing. There is no justification for this language.
          Pakistan Today is decent and a serious paper. There is 60+ years of history behind this paper which starts from Late Mr Hamid Nizami to Arif Nizami. Irrespective of Harleen's gender I have to say to Harleen that we do not deal with arguments like this. The above photograph is self -explanatory where Late President Reagan is seen with Late Mr Haqqani Senior.

  2. The current wave of Pakistan-bashing is not without a reason. There are plans to discredit Pakistan and create enabling environments for India to take over Afghanistan after the US departure. Pakistan has been used beyond its capacity and its services are no more required by the US. As against allegations that ISI has contacts with Haqqani Network fighting NATO forces in Afghanistan, RAW has contacts with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighting Pakistani state in Swat, South Waziristan and elsewhere in the tribal region. RAW is many steps ahead of ISI in this respect. It is fanning and fuelling insurgency in Balochistan and FATA and is funding and actually equipping TTP and Baloch insurgents. Some target-killers arrested in recent Karachi unrest confessed to have received training from RAW. No wonder, some call Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan as Tehreek-e-RAWliban Pakistan. Some pundits argue that Haqqani network, based in North Waziristan, has never attacked an official target in Pakistan – further evidence of its collusive relationship with that country's security services. When their struggle is focused on fighting foreign occupation forces and their collaborators including India, why should these pundits insist the network attack Pakistan which has no role in Kabul? By this flawed logic, TTP fighting Pakistan and having killed 35000 civilians and 3000 security personnel provide enough evidence of its collusive relationship with RAW and CIA. And mind you, this fight is taking place right inside Pakistan. By all definitions, TTP and Baloch insurgency is proxy war being fought by RAW inside Pakistan. Major objectives of this proxy war are keeping Pakistan away from Afghanistan to give India decisive role in Kabul, keeping China away from Gwadar-China energy corridor and depriving Pakistan from natural resources of Afghanistan. Read more at: http://pksecurity.blogspot.com/2011/09/pakistan-b

  3. What if US uses the option of ‘Everyone is expandable in the
    greater interest of USA.’ We have cases of two US envoys in
    this case Kabul 1975 and Bhawalpur 1988.Not to mention the
    names of the other victims.Placing Siraj Haqqani at their
    Table could be disasterous for our nation. The meeting must
    take place with representatives of six countries bordering
    Afghanistan as this is solely American issue.

  4. pakistan is a sinking ship .if u want to save the nation destroy the terrorists groups and concentrate on your economy . in the future india china will dominate asia. and ur nation will b poor nation depending on other countries for aid.

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