Monday, November 21, 2011
Haqqani on “slippery ground”
From The Hindu
Ambassador Husain Haqqani, has always been a man walking a tightrope and now he may be reaching the end of the line.
While he has still not packed his bags and returned to Islamabad, sources here indicated that he might well be on “slippery ground,” especially since he was “considered close to Washington but GHQ dislikes him”.
Dissatisfaction with his actions were said to echo past trends, where he was seen as not lobbying sufficiently for the interests of the military and intelligence apparatus on Capitol Hill, preferring to promote the civilian leadership. Indicating that l'affaire Haqqani may be high on the discussion agenda and the topmost levels of the Pakistani state it was noted that General Kayani called upon President Asif Ali Zardari on two consecutive days this week “and every time it was said security issues were discussed”.
Reportedly the word in the Pakistani embassy here is he “would like to do Washington's bidding more readily then Islamabad's.” In the past few days rumours added grist to this mill when some media alleged that Mr. Haqqani holds a U.S. passport and that he had sought asylum in the U.S. — both charges that he has denied.
Nevertheless long-time observers of the establishment added that the Mr. Haqqani “is said to be a master at manoeuvring minds in his favour... a feature that is said to help him secure high offices,” suggesting there may be a sliver of a chance that he could survive this episode.
Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Haqqani's past role as a journalist and his colourful presence on micro-blogging website Twitter may presage an opportunity for the eloquent diplomat. Even if he loses his job he may well be able to spin this into an opportunity by chronicling his adventures as the martyr for democracy who stood up against the mighty Pakistani military.
Labels: Husain Haqqani, Kayani, Mike Mullen, Pakistan Ambassador, Pasha, Washington DC, Zardari
Saturday, March 20, 2010
U.S. "extremely gratified" by Pak arrest of Baradar: Holbrooke
From The Hindu
At a press briefing on the upcoming Strategic Dialogue between the Untied States and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the U.S. was “extremely gratified that the Pakistani Government has apprehended the number-two person in the Taliban.”
His reaction comes shortly on the back of revelations by former UN staff that secret negotiations with the Taliban for greater peace in Afghanistan might have slowed down due to the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghan Taliban’s number two commander.
Mr. Holbrooke said many other militants and groups have been picked up or eliminated, and this is increasing the pressure on the Taliban; he added that this was “a good thing for the simplest of reasons: It is good for the military efforts that are underway in Afghanistan.”
Mr. Holbrooke was asked about the revelation by former UN Representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide that he was in talks with senior Taliban leaders since last spring and that those talks were shut down after the Pakistani authorities began arresting senior Afghan Taliban leaders like Baradar.
Reacting to the question about revelations by former UN Representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide that he was in talks with senior Taliban leaders since last spring and that those talks were shut down after the Pakistan arrested Baradar, he said, the arrest “is not related to the issue that you’re addressing.” President Karzai has said he wanted a reconciliation program with all Afghans, including people fighting with the Taliban and President Obama has said we support Afghan-led reconciliation, Mr. Holbrooke said.
On the importance of the talks to U.S.-Pakistan relationships Mr. Holbrooke said, “It marks a major intensification of our partnership, and we welcome the extremely high caliber delegation which Pakistan is sending. It will be lead, of course, by Foreign Minister Qureshi..” He added that President Obama and Secretary Clinton have long stressed the breadth and depth of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship: “This is a partnership that goes far beyond security, but security’s an important part of it,” he said.
Clarifying the intention behind the Strategic Dialogue Mr. Holbrooke said “This strategic dialogue with Pakistan is not at the expense of any other country in the region.” Also there would be no question of telling Pakistan what to do militarily in North Waziristan: “”The Pakistani army, since May of last year, has gone into Swat, where two divisions remain. They have gone into South Waziristan, where an additional number of troops are deployed. They have taken remarkable steps to push back people who threaten their security. What they do in North Waziristan is a decision for them to make.”
However a few days ago Mark Toner, Deputy Spokesman at the State Department said in press interaction, “Obviously, we’re talking about… Afghanistan, the situation there, the spill-over into the FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] and how to really better engage. And in fact, we’ve seen some successes on that front in recent weeks on terrorism,” he added.
In terms of substantively content of the dialogue, Mr. Holbrooke explained that the two countries would “talk about our basic core objectives, [including] defeating, destroying al-Qaida; helping the Afghans become self-reliant so they can take care of their own security; strengthening Pakistan’s ability to – with its own security; development; strengthening democratic institutions.”
Mr. Holbrooke expressed hope that the next round of Strategic Dialogue would be held in Islamabad “within the next six months.”
Labels: al Qaeda, Holbrooke, ISI, Kayani, Mumbai attacks, terrorism, U.S Special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Zardari
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