Washington/Islamabad: In the aftermath of the secret US raid to kill Osama bin Laden, Pakistani officials want a detailed agreement spelling out US rules of engagement inside Pakistan, officials in both countries say.
But Washington’s refusal to sign a binding document threatens to create another point of friction in the long-troubled relationship.
Pakistan military officials want the US to sign what is called a “memorandum of understanding”, an agreement they want to include such details as the number of CIA operatives working in Pakistan, notification before US drone strikes, intelligence gathered and a written promise about Pakistan’s role if al-Qaeda’s new leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is found in Pakistan.
“There can be no more grey areas,” said a senior Pakistani military official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to speak publicly about diplomatic negotiations.
The surge in trouble this year between Pakistan and the US began with the February killing of two Pakistanis by Raymond Davis, a CIA-contracted American spy working without Pakistan’s knowledge.
Davis pleaded self-defence but it took weeks of wrangling before he was released in exchange for so-called “blood money” paid to the dead men’s relatives.
The bin Laden raid further infuriated the Pakistani military, which saw it as a violation of Pakistani sovereignty, and it now feels it needs the agreement to ensure it would be involved in – or be able to stop – any similar US attacks in the future.
The agreement would also allay fears in Islamabad that the CIA is operating behind Pakistan’s back, and shore up the military’s reputation, which was badly battered when the US helicopters slipped into Pakistan air space undetected for the bin Laden attack.
But former and current American officials say the US will not commit any specifics to paper because it could limit the flexibility of its operations. Instead, the US is preparing a broad statement of principles that could be completed in the coming weeks.
Another senior US official said that while Pakistan would not get all the information it wants about US intelligence operations, it gets much more than Washington gives most other countries.
Pakistani officials fret there will be repeat of the bin Laden raid if al-Zawahiri is found in Pakistan, Associated Press an American news wire service claimed.
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