Fighting Haqqani

The head of the US Homeland Security delegation, Michael McCaul, said Wednesday that Pakistani President Zardari had pledged to work with the United States to eradicate the militant sanctuaries in his country. Michael McCaul is one of the US lawmakers currently on a visit to Islamabad. McCaul, however, downplayed Zardari's remarks, saying that it was unclear whether the President had the power to fulfil his pledge, given the fact that the civilian politicians in Pakistan had little influence on the ubiquitous Pakistan Army.

Ties in jeopardy

The Republican congressman from Texas also said the Pakistani president tried to downplay the threats that the US might cut its aid spending to Pakistan if Islamabad did not go after the Haqqanis.

"I think he thinks it is a given that we are going to continue the aid, but I tried to tell him that it is in jeopardy," said McCaul, "He (President Zardari) said, 'I appreciate your assistance, but it is trade more than aid that I need.'"

Relations between the US and Pakistan have been at their lowest since the killing of former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden during a secret operation by the US special forces in Pakistan's north-western city of Abbottabad in May. Many in the US believe that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, the ISI, supports the Taliban, in particular the Haqqani network. Islamabad denies the allegations. The Afghan government has also blamed the ISI for backing the Haqqanis.

'Trade, not aid'

Shakoor Rahim, Deutsche Welle's correspondent in Islamabad, reported the Pakistani President urged the US to support Pakistan's ailing economy by increasing bilateral trade. President Zardari also talked about Pakistan's "sacrifices" in the global "War on Terror."

Pakistani defense analyst and retired air marshal Masood Akhter told Deutsche Welle that US concerns about the decision making power of Pakistan's civilian leadership were justified. "The US concerns regarding Zardari's influence on the military are not baseless. President Zardari lacks the understanding of the national security issues."

Akhter was also of the opinion that Pakistan's reliance on the US was largely due to its emaciated economy. He said that the Pakistani politicians were incompetent to deal with the innumerable problems that the country faces today.

The civilian-military rift in Pakistan

In her high-profile visit to Islamabad last month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated that Washington would like to see firm action taken against the Haqqanis. However, most Pakistani analysts believe that there seems to be a rift between Pakistan's democratically elected government and the country’s army over the Haqqanis.

Author: Shamil Shams (AP)
Editor: Sarah Berning