Washington: Outgoing US Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Mike Mullen’s allegations that Haqqani network is a “veritable arm” of Pakistan’s spy service ISI was overstated and contributed to overheated reactions in Pakistan and misperceptions in Washington, The Washington Post quoted sources.
The newspaper reported that the internal criticism by the officials reflects concern over the accuracy of Mullen’s characterizations at a time when Obama administration officials have been frustrated in their efforts to persuade Pakistan to break its ties to Afghan insurgent groups.
The administration has long sought to pressure Pakistan, but to do so in a nuanced way that does not sever the US relationship with a country that American officials see as crucial to winning the war in Afghanistan and maintaining long-term stability in the region, the paper reported.
Mullen’s testimony to a Senate committee was widely interpreted as an accusation by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that Pakistan’s military and espionage agencies sanction and direct bloody attacks against US troops and targets in Afghanistan. Such interpretations prompted new levels of indignation among senior officials in both the United States and Pakistan.
“The Pakistani government has been dealing with Haqqani for a long time and still sees strategic value in guiding Haqqani and using them for their purposes,” the Pentagon official said. But “it’s not in their interest to inflame us in a way that an attack on a [U.S.] compound would do.”
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