Washington: Pakistan has to choose between helping the Haqqani network and helping the US fight Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and border regions of Pakistan, a US senator said on Sunday.
“The idea of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies supporting terrorism as a national strategy needs to come to an end,” Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican member of the Armed Services Committee said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“It destabilizes 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 Washington should reconsider assistance to Pakistan and noted last week’s approval by a Senate committee of $1 billion to Pakistan for counterterrorism 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 Pakistan is engaging in hostile acts against the US and our ally Afghanistan,” he said.
The senator said the US will have to consider all options “including defending our troops” in confronting Pakistani support for militant networks fighting US soldiers in the region.
“We need to put Pakistan on notice,” Graham added
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