The US Senate has passed a bill, asking the Obama Administration to declare the Afghan Haqqani network, which is frequently blamed by Washington for attacks against American troops deployed in Afghanistan, as a foreign terrorist organization . U.S. officials regularly allege that the Haqqani militants have found a sanctuary in the Pakistani tribal areas, which they use to launch attacks on the American troops. The US has also demanded a Pakistani operation against the Haqqani militants hiding on its side of the Afghan border. Significantly, the bill states at the end that “nothing in this act may be construed to infringe upon the sovereignty of Pakistan to combat militant or terrorist groups operating inside its boundaries.” According to The Hill publication, the construction aims at making the point that that the US relations with Pakistan are not further harmed . U.S.-Pakistani relations have been sensitive since a spate of incidents last year including U.S. Special Forces operation that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan without informing the country. The relations between the two countries have only recently started showing some signs of improvement since an American apology over deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in Salala incident and the subsequent revival of Pakistani land routes for Afghanistan-bound NATO supplies. Thursday’s voice vote by the senators adds to the Capitol Hill pressure on the White House to move against the militant organization. The bill, having been passed in the House and now to be sent to Obama, requires the US secretary of state to report to Congress on whether the Haqqani network meets the criteria to be designated a foreign terrorist organization and if not, to explain reasons for that determination. A State Department report would be due within 30 days of the US president signing the measure. In the recent past, the US State Department has designated several senior leaders of the Haqqani network as terrorists. The matter of labeling the entire organization is currently under review. Earlier, in the House an amendment to the bill stressed that Congress viewed the Haqqani network as meeting the definition of a designated terrorist organization and therefore should be declared as such. American lawmakers had also addressed a letter to US Secretary of State May this year, urging the Department to speed up the process of declaring the Haqqanis a terrorist group.
If President Obama signs this into law, he is closing all doors to an end of Afghan war through dialogue and reconciliation. He would be sensible to veto it. Not that Haqqanis are saints, but Afghanistan's solution has to include all groups including Haqqanis.
Should include Hussain Haqqani and all his accomplices.
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