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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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			<title>Declaring Pakistan terror-sponsor state ‘wishful thinking’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1367262/declaring-pakistan-terror-sponsor-state-wishful-thinking</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1367262/declaring-pakistan-terror-sponsor-state-wishful-thinking#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Mar 17 20:09:41 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[New Desk]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1367262</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani Network neither friend nor proxy of Pakistan, says Ambassador to the US Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry]]>
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				<![CDATA[“The talk of declaring Pakistan ‘sponsor of terrorism’ of state is a wishful thinking of a few and far from reality,” Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said on Monday.

India’s reluctance to pursue dialogue with Pakistan would only benefit terrorists, Chaudhry told BBC Urdu in Washington.

He added that the Haqqani Network, the deadliest of all Afghan insurgent groups, was neither friends nor a proxy of Pakistan. “We don’t want them to engage in violence against the United States or Afghanistan because violence against innocent people cannot be condoned.”

Focus on ‘trade, not aid’, says Chaudhry

Chaudhry said Pakistan’s fight against terrorism has been matchless. “We decimated the sanctuaries of terrorists and solved the problems inherited from the times of Afghan jihad [against the Soviet army],” he said while referring to the series of military operation Pakistan has conducted in the tribal regions.

“Declaring Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism is far from reality. It is wishful thinking by a few individuals who try to exaggerate such stories,” he said in response to a question.

Earlier this month a bill was moved in the house of representative of the US Congress that seeks to declare Pakistan ‘state sponsor of terrorism’.

Asked about the new US president, Chaudhry said: “If you want to know Donald Trump’s views about Pakistan, then you should read the conversation he had with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif [soon after his ascension to the White House].”

Delhi continues to harp on terror mantra

Replying to a question about the house arrest of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, he said: “We don’t want to send any negative message from Pakistan to the international community.”

“Our stance is very clear: we want to have peaceful and friendly relations with India based on mutual respect,” he added.

However, he regretted that whenever the two countries moved to improve relations through dialogue, terrorists carry out an attack. “As a result, New Delhi suspends which only encourages terrorists.”]]>
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			<title>A complicated relationship</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/948257/a-complicated-relationship</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/948257/a-complicated-relationship#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 15 21:52:41 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=948257</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The table is crowded with ‘to do’ items ideally before the prime minister meets President Barack Obama]]>
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				<![CDATA[A lot of ground was covered in a very short visit to Pakistan by American National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Susan Rice on August 30. It is the first time since the Zardari years that an American NSA has visited these shores and much has happened since the last visit. Ms Rice has a reputation as a tough talker, and her exchanges with the prime minister, her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz and Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif — were said to be “frank”.

It is reported that Pakistan has sought American intervention in an attempt to de-escalate the tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary (WB) with India, which in the last three months have risen sharply. There has been some cautious support for Pakistan in the current conflict from a previous American ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, and the diplomatic environment appears to see Pakistan as the aggrieved party in this instance.

America has always been wary of anything but the most tangential of interventions in the Pakistan-India imbroglio, but time and circumstances change, and the US cannot simply walk away — as it has done in the past with Pakistan — and avoid the consequences of its own interventions in the region. The spectre of a limited war is being touted in some Western countries, a spectre that fills them with the deepest of fears. Neither India nor Pakistan would stand to gain anything by going to war, but the furnaces of nationalism are burning bright in India, fanned by a Modi administration that is giving contradictory messages — speaking peace from one side of its mouth and something other than peace from the other. If current levels of conflict escalate beyond protracted artillery duels, then external concerns may be justified.

This is not in American interests, and a tidy pivot towards the Pacific is looking less and less likely. American help is being sought to bring India to the table. The proposed talks at the NSA level collapsed, and in truth never looked to be much of a possibility anyway. Neither side had anything to offer the other and preconditions ultimately killed them off. Pakistan will be hoping that India can be brought to the table without preconditions, but India has a fresh concern — the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which may not work to its own interests. The CPEC, if accomplished, is going to significantly raise Pakistan’s game regionally and potentially bring about a latter-day economic revolution. A strong and vibrant Pakistan is not in the Indian playbook. It is (probably) in the Americans’. Whether they can broker — or strong-arm — India into adopting a less aggressive position remains to be seen but Dr Rice is not a woman to waste her time on a tea-and-biscuits visit. She is reportedly keen to broker an on-the-sidelines meeting between the prime minister and Mr Modi in the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting. We await, but with low expectations.

The second agenda item for Dr Rice was the Haqqani network, about which America is less than impressed by the Pakistan efforts to suppress it. There have always been American doubts in this area despite protestations to the contrary by both the prime minister and the army chief. The Haqqani network is clearly alive and well, and at stake in this face-off is the $300 million that America is due to pay into the Coalition Support Fund and which the American Congress has the power to veto if it is not satisfied that the Haqqani network is being hammered sufficiently hard. Allied to that issue is the Afghan peace process, currently off the rails while the Taliban sort out issues of succession in the wake of the death of Mullah Omar. The table is crowded with ‘to do’ items ideally before the prime minister meets President Barack Obama, and not all are going to get done.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2015.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>US sanctions Sirajuddin Haqqani’s brother as ‘specially designated global terrorist’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/944934/us-sanctions-sirajuddin-haqqanis-brother-as-specially-designated-global-terrorist</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/944934/us-sanctions-sirajuddin-haqqanis-brother-as-specially-designated-global-terrorist#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 15 21:23:02 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=944934</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[All of Aziz's property subject to US jurisdiction is blocked, with US citizens prohibited from financial transactions]]>
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				<![CDATA[The United States has named the brother of the head of the extremist Haqqani Network a "specially designated global terrorist," the State Department said Tuesday.

Based in Pakistan, the Haqqani Network has close ties to al Qaeda and has been blamed for many of the most deadly attacks against US and government targets in Afghanistan.

The group's leader Sirajuddin Haqqani has long been one of Washington's most important targets, and is now joined by his brother Abdul Aziz Haqqani on the blacklist.

Sirajuddin was last month named as one of two deputy leaders of the Afghan Taliban.

Read: Of natural causes: Ailing Taliban faction leader Jalaluddin Haqqani ‘dead’

"For several years, Aziz Haqqani has been involved in planning and carrying out improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan government targets," the State Department said.

According to the statement, Aziz Haqqani also "assumed responsibility for all major Haqqani Network attacks after the death of his brother, Badruddin Haqqani."

Aziz already had a $5 million US bounty on his head and the Haqqani faction has long been designated a "terrorist organisation."

He now joins his brother as subject to the seizure of any assets he may have in areas under US control, while Americans are banned from doing business with him.

Read: Afghan Taliban issues statement quoting 'dead' Jalaluddin Haqqani

With Abdul Aziz, the family network is led by Sirajuddin's uncle and brother-in-law along with Abdul Rauf Zakir, the alleged head of the group's suicide operations.

The Haqqani Network was set up in the 1970s as a force to oppose the Marxist regime in Kabul and its Soviet backers, and fought in the Afghan civil war.

US intelligence holds it responsible for some of the most audacious strikes of the insurgency, including the 2009 Camp Chapman bombing, which killed seven CIA agents.]]>
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			<title>Those seeking power through violence are distasteful: Khar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/494929/those-seeking-power-through-violence-are-distasteful-khar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/494929/those-seeking-power-through-violence-are-distasteful-khar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jan 13 16:11:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=494929</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Foreign Minister says Haqqani Network are Afghanis, not Pakistanis and should go to Afghanistan.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan's foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said that any group that uses violence as a means of propagating, promoting and proving themselves and their power is immensely distasteful to the Pakistani state.

Responding to a question by moderator Joe Klein on the Haqqani Network, Khar cited the example of FTO designation of the group where the US asked Pakistan about the listing, "We said be our guests, they are Afghan nationals.”

“And please allow us to send the three million Afghan refugees, the Haqqanis being one of them, back to Afghanistan, or take responsibility, maybe to New York or Washington," the foreign minister said, before adding that Pakistan continues to house three million Afghans.

Khar said that when one of the three million people cross the border into Afghanistan where 57,000 people are crossing unchecked everyday, and attack someone, it is the Pakistani state gets blamed. She added that it was preposterous to make such allegations.

The foreign minister said Pakistan has lost $72 billion in the war against terrorism and that Pakistan was fighting the war for its own existence, and as a frontline state.

When asked by Klein on a statement by General Kayani a few years ago describing the Haqqani Network as an asset in an interview with the New York Times, FM Khar disagreed and said that was not his view now, and it was not the view of the Government of Pakistan's either.]]>
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			<title>Haqqani network would consider talks under Taliban</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/464971/haqqani-network-would-consider-talks-under-taliban</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/464971/haqqani-network-would-consider-talks-under-taliban#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 13 Nov 12 06:34:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=464971</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani commander says group would keep up pressure on Western forces with high-profile attacks.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The Haqqani network, seen as the most lethal insurgent faction in Afghanistan, would take part in peace talks with the United States but only under the direction of their Afghan Taliban leaders, a top faction commander said on Tuesday.

The rare flexibility exhibited by an Afghan militant commander was accompanied by a warning that the Haqqanis would keep up pressure on Western forces with high-profile attacks and would pursue their goal of establishing an Islamic state.

The Haqqanis, who operate out of the unruly border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, say they are part of the Afghan Taliban and must act in unison in any peace process.

The commander, who declined to be identified, accused the United States of being insincere in peace efforts and trying to divide the two organisations.

“However, if the central shura, headed by Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, decided to hold talks with the United States, we would welcome it,” he told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed, referring to the militants’ leadership council.

The United States designated the Haqqani network a terrorist organization in September, a move its commanders said proved Washington was not sincere about peace efforts in Afghanistan.

The Haqqani network may prove to be President Barack Obama’s biggest security challenge as he tries to stabilise Afghanistan before most Nato combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014.

The group’s experience in guerrilla fighting dating back to the anti-Soviet war in the 1980s and its substantial financial network, could make it the ultimate spoiler of peace efforts, which have made little headway.

The commander said the Haqqani network was pleased about Obama’s re-election, predicting he would be demoralised by battlefield losses and pull out US forces earlier than expected.

“From what we see on the ground, Obama would not wait for 2014 to call back his forces,” said the commander.

“They suffered heavy human and financial losses and are not in a position to suffer more.”

The Taliban said in March they were suspending nascent peace talks with the United States.

A senior Afghan official closely involved with reconciliation efforts said last week the government had failed to secure direct talks with the Taliban and no significant progress was expected before 2014.]]>
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			<title>No breakthrough in Taliban talks expected before 2014: Afghanistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/463316/no-breakthrough-in-taliban-talks-before-2014-afghanistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/463316/no-breakthrough-in-taliban-talks-before-2014-afghanistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 09 Nov 12 15:11:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=463316</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Afghan official says Haqqanis being listed by UN as terrorists will hamper talks.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Afghanistan's government has failed to secure direct talks with the Taliban and no significant progress is expected before 2014, when most NATO combat troops withdraw, a senior Afghan official closely involved with reconciliation efforts said on Friday.

"No breakthrough is expected before the 2014 election," the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A political settlement between the Afghan government and insurgents is widely seen as the best way of delivering stability to the country before most NATO combat troops pull out at the end of 2014.

Afghan officials were also hoping to make progress in reconciliation efforts before presidential elections in April of 2014 to decrease the chances of prolonged instability in a nation that has suffered through decades of war.

"There have been contacts here and there but no face-to-face talks have taken place," the Afghan official said of the bid to engage the Taliban.

"There have been none in Afghanistan or other countries."

There has also been scant progress on other fronts. The Taliban said in March they were suspending nascent peace talks with the United States held in Qatar, blaming "erratic and vague" US statements.

The Afghan official suggested the contacts that have been made with the Taliban have been limited.

"The contacts have taken place mostly at the provincial level. For instance, an official may meet Taliban commanders and urge them not to attack schools," he said.

Banking on Pakistan

Regional power Pakistan, which has a long history of ties to Afghan insurgent groups, was in a strong position to help stabilise Afghanistan but needed to do more than issue statements of support, said the official.

Afghan officials have often seen Pakistan as a reluctant partner in attempts to broker talks with the Taliban. Islamabad denies accusations that it uses Afghan insurgent groups as proxies in Afghanistan and had pledged to do all it can to end the fighting.

"In practice, they need to facilitate faster," said the official, adding that Afghanistan's High Peace Council would soon present Pakistan with a roadmap on how it could help bring peace.

In August, senior officials from both countries said Afghan officials have held secret talks wit the Taliban's former second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is in detention in Pakistan.

Afghan officials, hopeful that direct contact with top Taliban commanders could give them the most leverage in any peace talks, want Islamabad to hand over Baradar and other Afghan Taliban leaders they say are in Pakistan.

"Mullah Baradar can be useful when he is released. He was the number two Taliban leader so he still has influence," said the Afghan official.

Afghanistan is known to want access to Taliban leaders belonging to the so-called Quetta Shura, or council, named after the Pakistani city where they are believed to be based.

Pakistan has consistently denied giving sanctuary to insurgents and says no Taliban leaders are in Quetta.

Pakistani officials have said they would urge all Afghan insurgents to pursue peace, including the Haqqani network. The faction, allied with the Taliban and operating on northwest Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, is seen as the most lethal Afghan militant group.

On Monday, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on the Haqqani network, and Washington has designated it a terrorist organisation.

The Afghan official expressed caution over the UN move, which he said would deepen the isolation of a group blamed for some of the most high-profile attacks in Afghanistan.

"There have been some contacts with the Haqqanis in the past. The UN listing of the Haqqanis will make it difficult for the High Peace Council to keep contact with them," he said.]]>
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			<title>Afghanistan rules out peace deals with Haqqanis</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/461646/afghanistan-rules-out-peace-deals-with-haqqanis</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/461646/afghanistan-rules-out-peace-deals-with-haqqanis#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 06 Nov 12 14:35:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=461646</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Afghan government welcomes the United Nations' decision to impose sanctions on the Haqqani network.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Afghanistan welcomes the United Nations' decision to impose sanctions on the Haqqani network and would not negotiate for peace with the group blamed for several high-profile attacks in the country, the presidential spokesman said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the UN Security Council's Taliban sanctions committee added the Haqqani network to a UN blacklist, the United States said.

Aimal Faizi, President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman, said Kabul backed the UN decision, but added it should have been made a long time ago to weaken the Haqqanis, a Pakhtun tribe allied to the Afghan Taliban, who he said had carried out most of the terrorist attacks in the nation over the past 10 years.

Although the Afghan government is engaged in reconciliation talks with members of the Taliban, it rules out dialogue with the Haqqani group, believed to be based in the unruly border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"We don't want any kind of deal with the Haqqanis, who were behind many of the attacks on Afghan security forces and civilians including women and children," Faizi told Reuters.

"We have certain negotiating conditions with armed opposition groups but the Haqqanis do not meet the criteria and they are in the service of a foreign spy agency."

Afghan and US officials have accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of using Haqqani militants as proxies in Afghanistan to counter the influence of rival India. Islamabad denies the allegations.

The United States designated the Haqqani network a terrorist organisation in September, a move the group's commanders said proved Washington was not sincere about peace efforts in Afghanistan.

Isolating the Haqqanis, who were blamed for the 18-hour attack on embassies and parliament in Kabul in April, could complicate efforts to secure peace in Afghanistan as most Nato combat troops prepare to leave by the end of 2014.

The Haqqanis say they are intricately tied to the Afghan Taliban and both groups insist they must act in unison in any peace process.

Most of the Haqqani leaders have already been blacklisted individually.

A report in July by the Center for Combating Terrorism said the Haqqanis run a sophisticated financial network, raising money through kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking but also having a legitimate business portfolio that includes import/export, transport, real estate and construction interests in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Gulf.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan already cracking down on Haqqani network: Government</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/461640/pakistan-already-cracking-down-on-haqqani-network-government</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/461640/pakistan-already-cracking-down-on-haqqani-network-government#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 06 Nov 12 13:38:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban on Haqqani network is already in place in Pakistan: Information minister.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan is already cracking down on the Haqqani network and does not need to impose extra measures following the group's addition to the UN's blacklist, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.

The UN Security Council's Taliban sanctions committee on Monday added the Pakistan-based group, accused of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan, to its sanctions list.

The action obliges all UN members to implement an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo for the Haqqani network.

"The three elements of the ban – arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban – are all already in place in Pakistan," Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told Reuters.

The United States designated the Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation in September, a move the group's commanders said proved Washington was not sincere about peace efforts in Afghanistan.

The Haqqanis, a group allied with the Afghan Taliban, are the most experienced fighters in Afghanistan and are blamed for some of the boldest attacks, including one on embassies and parliament in Kabul in April that lasted 18 hours.

US officials have long accused Pakistan of supporting the network, an allegation Islamabad denies.

"Which banned militant can openly travel in Pakistan? We have also checked on financing and other transfers. There is no problem," Kaira said.

A few months ago, the leader of a banned organisation openly led a march into the capital, Islamabad.

Gretchen Peters, who wrote a report on Haqqani finances for the Combating Terrorism Center, said Pakistan could shut down the Haqqanis if it wanted.

"That's patently not true" that they have already cracked down, she said.

Seized receipts and other documents showed Haqqani leaders owned property, construction, trading and transport firms and bought weapons and ammunition inside Pakistan, she said.

A small team of financial investigators with strong political backing could severely damage the network, she said, citing US successes in tackling South American drug cartels and seizing assets of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

So far, it is unclear how well the sanctions will be enforced. Peters' report found that most of the Haqqani assets were in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

"A sanction is like an arrest warrant. It only means something if countries act on it," she said.

In Pakistan, decisions about counter-terrorism and military strategy are taken by the military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 65-year history.

So far, the army has been conspicuously silent on the UN sanctions and US designation of the Haqqanis as terrorists.

The military's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) is widely believed to be its most competent and well-resourced of more than a dozen Pakistani security agencies.

It is also the agency that the United States has previously accused of supporting the Haqqani network.]]>
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			<title>UN orders global sanctions against Haqqani network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/461591/un-orders-global-sanctions-against-haqqani-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/461591/un-orders-global-sanctions-against-haqqani-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 06 Nov 12 07:20:48 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The United States put Haqqani on its terror blacklist in September.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The UN Security Council on Monday ordered global sanctions against the Haqqani militant group in Afghanistan and its suicide attack mastermind.

The network, which has been widely linked to Pakistan, is accused of carrying out a string of murderous attacks in Afghanistan including against the US embassy and a major hotel in Kabul.

Haqqani and its chief suicide attack organizer, Qari Zakir, were added to the UN’s Afghanistan-Taliban sanctions list. This means nations must apply an assets freeze and travel ban against Zakir and seize any assets belonging to the network as well as impose an arms embargo.

The United States put Haqqani on its terror blacklist in September. The US State Department added Zakir to its list of terrorist suspects on Monday.

Founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, a CIA asset turned al Qaeda ally who was close to Pakistani intelligence, the network is considered the most dangerous faction in the Taliban army in Afghanistan.

The UN designation said that the group was linked to al Qaeda, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and a string of militant groups in Pakistan including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Jaish-i-Mohammed.

The Haqqanis have been blamed for spectacular attacks on Afghan government and NATO targets across Afghanistan as well as kidnappings and murders.

The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said operatives trained by Zakir attacked two international coalition bases in 2010, the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul in June 2011 -- an attack which killed 11 civilians and two Afghan police -- and the US embassy in Kabul in September 2011, which killed 16 Afghans, including at least six children.

Afghanistan’s spy agency said in August that the network’s operational commander, Badruddin Haqqani, a son of the founder, had been killed in a US drone attack. The network is now believed to be led by another son, Sirajuddin Haqqani.

The designation could embarrass Pakistan, which is currently a member of the UN Security Council. Many Haqqani members are believed to be sheltering in Pakistan.

Former US chief of staff Admiral Mike Mullen said last year that the Haqqani network had become a “veritable arm” of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Ties between Islamabad and Washington have been rocky for years, and have only just resumed after being dealt a major blow by the secret operation that killed Osama bin Laden and an air raid that accidentally killed 24 Pakistani troops.

But the sanctions have been welcomed by the United States.

Rice said the US move expands upon the US measures and “confirms the international community’s resolve to end the Haqqani network’s ability to execute violent attacks in Afghanistan.

“It also reflects the Security Council’s commitment to use and enforce sanctions against those who threaten peace in Afghanistan, in conjunction with a strong commitment to support Afghan-led peace and reconciliation.”

Rice said Zakir, who is also known as Abdul Rauf Zakir, “has been involved in many of the Haqqani network’s highest-profile suicide attacks and has trained individuals to use small arms, heavy weapons and improvised explosive devices.”]]>
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			<title>Haqqani network formally sanctioned by US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/439423/haqqani-network-formally-sanctioned-by-us</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/439423/haqqani-network-formally-sanctioned-by-us#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 19 Sep 12 20:37:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=439423</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The ban would result in freezing assets the group or its members have within US jurisdictions.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[After US President Barack Obama agreed to declare the Haqqani network a foreign terrorist organisation, the sanctions have now come into force on Wednesday, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The group is allegedly based in Pakistan.

Earlier, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had signed a report to Congress saying the network met criteria for a terrorist designation.

The ban would result in freezing assets the group or its members have within US jurisdictions, while Americans would not be allowed to do business with them.

The Haqqanis run a sophisticated and diverse financial network comparable to a mafia group, according to a July report by the Centre for Combating Terrorism.

It said the group raised money through kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking but also had a business portfolio that included import/export, transport, real estate and construction interests in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Persian Gulf.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Haqqanis wanted better ties with US pre-9/11: declassified documents</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/435189/haqqanis-wanted-better-ties-with-us-pre-911-declassified-documents</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/435189/haqqanis-wanted-better-ties-with-us-pre-911-declassified-documents#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Sep 12 19:24:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=435189</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[US State Department cable from 1999 detailed meeting between US officials and Jalaluddin Haqqani.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The founder of Afghanistan's now-scorned Haqqani network had voiced hope for cooperation in a meeting with US diplomats two years before the September 11 attacks, a declassified document said on Tuesday.

The United States decided last week to blacklist the Pakistan-linked network as terrorists following a wave of attacks in Afghanistan. The fierce guerrilla group had once enjoyed US support as it battled Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

In a document released on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a State Department cable said that US officials met in May 1999 with the group's founder Jalaluddin Haqqani who was informally representing the Taliban regime.

In the meeting, a diplomat from the US embassy in Islamabad urged the Taliban to expel Osama bin Laden who was wanted over the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania three years before the September 11 atrocity.

The cable said that Haqqani insisted that the Taliban had placed "tight controls" on bin Laden and that the best solution for the United States may be for the Saudi-born al Qaeda leader to stay in Afghanistan.

Haqqani appealed for dialogue with the United States and voiced frustration over US pressure on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- US allies that with Pakistan were the only nations to recognise the Taliban government.

"Iran, China and Russia want to take over Afghanistan and run it for their gain," the cable quoted Haqqani as saying.

The "US and Saudi Arabia could help Afghanistan maintain its independence. Do not turn away from us anymore, but deal with us," he was quoted as saying.

The documents on the Haqqanis were released by the National Security Archive at George Washington University, which obtained them through the Freedom of Information Act.

The 1999 cable said that Haqqani -- "stroking his black beard and adjusting his white turban" -- offered appreciation for US support against the Soviets but criticised the cruise missile strike ordered by president Bill Clinton after the embassy bombings.

A "hail and hearty" Haqqani started the talks with US diplomats "by darkly joking that it was 'good to meet someone from the country which destroyed my base, my madrassa and killed 25 of my mujahedin," the cable said, referring to Islamic schools and warriors.

Hearing Haqqani's remarks, his assistants "glared sullenly" at the US diplomats, the document said.

The cable did not specify the location of the meeting, although it appeared to take place somewhere in Pakistan. US officials often held Taliban meetings at the US embassy in Islamabad before the September 11 attacks.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, under pressure from Congress, last week agreed to declare the Haqqani network to be terrorists amid US outrage over a series of attacks attributed to the group including a hotel assault in June that killed 18 people and a siege last year of the US embassy in Kabul.

US officials had worried about the impact of relations with Pakistan. Admiral Mike Mullen said before stepping down last year as the head of the US military that the Haqqani network has become a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

Another declassified US document described Haqqani as a military strategist and a comparative "social moderate" as his Zadran tribe of Pashtuns treated women more liberally than Pashtuns in Kandahar, the base of the Taliban whose 1996-2001 regime imposed draconian controls on women.

In the meeting with US diplomats, Haqqani hit back at the criticism of the Taliban. He was quoted as arguing: "Saudi Arabia, a friend of the US and Europe, treated women the same way as the Taliban."

Jalaluddin Haqqani is now in his 70s and frail and has passed on his seat on the Taliban leadership council to his son Sirajuddin Haqqani, who runs a fighting force of at least 2,000 men.]]>
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			<title>Taliban laughs off US blacklisting of Haqqani network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/433812/taliban-laughs-off-us-blacklisting-of-haqqani-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/433812/taliban-laughs-off-us-blacklisting-of-haqqani-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 09 Sep 12 05:20:44 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=433812</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Statement released on Twitter says move indicative of complete US defeat.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Taliban denounced the US move to blacklist the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation on Saturday, saying it would have no impact on operations and was indicative of the US defeat in Afghanistan.


In a statement released through micro-blogging site Twitter, it said there was “no separate entity... in Afghanistan by the name of Haqqani”, adding that the network’s founder and its fighters were totally loyal to Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar.

The militia claimed previous terrorist designations against its members had no impact on operations and said “this latest announcement will also be ineffective”.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday she would press ahead with the Haqqani blacklisting, which will make it a crime in the United States to provide the network with any material support, and freeze any of their property or interests in the US.

The United States blamed the Haqqanis for a June hotel attack just outside Kabul, the 2011 siege on the US embassy and, in 2009, the deadliest attack on the CIA in 25 years.

“The Islamic Emirate does not have any trade agreements with any American companies or individuals and neither does it have monetary funds there which could be frozen,” the Taliban said. “This cowardly act of yours in which you enter mujahideen of Islamic Emirate into your so-called black list is indicative of your complete defeat and dismay.”

The statement further said that the blacklisting would strengthen its determination to fight the Americans.

Former US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen said last year the Haqqani network had become a “veritable arm” of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. That triggered concern that the US could indirectly be branding Pakistan a terrorist state. But US officials downplayed such fears, insisting Islamabad had been informed in advance, and stressing the move would not hamper any future peace talks with the Taliban.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2012. ]]>
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			<title>Analysis: Netting Pakistan via Haqqani network?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/433387/analysis-netting-pakistan-via-haqqani-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/433387/analysis-netting-pakistan-via-haqqani-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 08 Sep 12 02:12:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[wajahat.s.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=433387</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The US govt decision to designate the Haqqani Network a terrorist organisation is an internal matter for the US.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The timing is interesting. The Indian external affairs minister, with a small army of Indian reporters and staff, is in Pakistan on what has been a rather lacklustre but still a critical trip.

And even though the US secretary of state is on a foreign tour herself, not in the saddle in Washington (and more importantly, was a full three days short of breaching the September 9 deadline set by the US Senate to either explain why the Haqqani network shouldn’t be labelled an ‘foreign terrorist organisation’ (FTO), versus actually doing it), American diplomats say there is no connection between the timing of the designation and Pakistan’s engagements with India.


But that means: a) that she obviously she doesn’t care much about the sensitivity of Indo-Pak bilateralism which could get thorny because the Haqqanis, allegedly based in North Waziristan, are widely blamed for an infamous attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul in 2008 and b) she doesn’t work weekends, which is disturbing for the world’s most powerful diplomat.

Moving on.

What’s in a Network?

The Haqqani Network is supposed to be aligned with the Taliban and al Qaeda and is considered one of the most experienced and versatile militant groups involved in the Afghan insurgency. The network is, literally, a bit like a crime family. Lots of cousins and uncles dominate the top tiers of leadership, specialising in different roles, skills, regions and formations.

Some of its leaders have been already been placed terror watchlists by the Americans, which allows US to target the Haqqanis’ finances. But the Haqqanis have not been neutralised, and have become one of the core issues of the argument between Islamabad and Washington over the endgame in Afghanistan.

When the Pakistanis are blamed for “hedging” in Afghanistan, their dark horse is the Haqqani network. When there is an unusually bold attack, like the September 2011 assault on the US embassy in Kabul, it’s because the Haqqanis are a “veritable arm” of the ISI. So goes the American perspective. And it’s been battled by the likes of Hina Rabbani Khar, the young Pakistani foreign minister, who made her bones, and headlines, with a crunching reaction to Admiral (retd.) Mike Mullen’s anti-Pakistan swansong to the US Congress last fall: that once upon a time in Afghanistan, at a time when jihad was a good word, the Haqqanis used to be the CIA’s “blue-eyed boys”.

Why the designation?

The FTO designation just gives the sophisticated American legal, legislative and war machine more to teeth to take a bigger bite out of the network and its affiliates. But a new backgrounder published by the Washington-based Institute of the Study of War says Pakistan, too, could be a part of punishment that is to proceed: “The FTO designation will also allow the US government to pursue facilitators of the network, including preventing second- and third-party institutions … Labelling the Haqqani Network as an FTO also messages Pakistan’s military leadership that continued support for and tolerance of Haqqani Network operations is no longer acceptable to the US.”

This is where Islamabad needs to watch its back. There have already been calls by the Bruce Reidels of Washington to slam sanctions against the ISI, and/or even its officers, as Aabpara allegedly works outside of the control of the government and even Chaklala. By being able to pursue “second and third-party institutions” through the FTO, the US gets in a better position to target the ISI, or, for that matter, any formation in the Pakistani military or any other business or enterprise in Pakistan that can be connected with the Haqqanis.

What happens now?

In the short run, nothing. Pakistan is adopting a cool wait-and-see stance by distancing itself from the designation. If the Americans are good at using technicalities to build pressure, then Pakistan’s foreign ministry seems to be getting smoother at avoiding it: “The US govt decision to designate the Haqqani Network a terrorist organisation is an internal matter for the US. The Haqqanis are not Pakistani nationals and therefore there is (sic) no grounds for us to be involved.”

Islamabad (and Rawalpindi) has long been accused of sheltering and abetting the Haqqanis. Consequently, the MOFA, ISPR et al have gotten very good at saying “prove it”. Now, they’re going a step further. The Haqqanis are an American and an Afghan problem. Brilliant. But the American legislative net will eventually catch up through the wide seek-and-sanction effect of the FTO.

The foreign office will be able to backstop and goalkeep for Chaklala and Aabpara in the short-run with this approach. But not against a sustained diplomatic and economic assault.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Haqqanis say US listing them as terrorist will hurt Afghan peace</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/433119/haqqanis-say-us-listing-them-as-terrorist-will-hurt-afghan-peace</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/433119/haqqanis-say-us-listing-them-as-terrorist-will-hurt-afghan-peace#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 07 Sep 12 17:12:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=433119</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani network senior commander says the designation will bring hardships for US serviceman in their custody.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The United States' decision to designate the Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation shows it is not sincere about peace efforts in Afghanistan, senior commanders of the group said on Friday.

The move will also bring hardship for US Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who is being held by the militants, the commanders told Reuters.

Earlier, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the Pakistan-linked Haqqani network, blamed for a series of attacks in Afghanistan, met the criteria to be designated a terrorist group.

Despite concerns over the impact such a move on the tense US ties with Islamabad, Clinton said in a statement she had "notified Congress of my intent to designate the Haqqani Network" as a foreign terrorist organization. US President Barack Obama had signed a bill into law last month which gave the Secretary of State 30 days to certify whether the group met the criteria to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC released a statement, saying the designation was “an internal matter for the United States. It is not our business. The Haqqanis are not Pakistani nationals. We will continue to work with all international partners including the US in combating extremism and terrorism."]]>
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			<title>US to blacklist Haqqani network: New York Times</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/432952/us-to-blacklist-haqqani-network-new-york-times</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/432952/us-to-blacklist-haqqani-network-new-york-times#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 07 Sep 12 05:42:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=432952</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Senior officials who argued against blacklisting group were concerned it could further damage relations with Pakistan.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The United States is preparing to blacklist the Pakistan-linked Haqqani network, accused of some high-profile attacks, as early as Friday, the New York Times said on its website.

Designation by the State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization would bring sanctions such as criminal penalties for anyone providing material support to the group and seizure of any assets in the United States.

The administration was facing a congressional deadline this weekend.

The New York Times said senior officials who argued against blacklisting the group were concerned it could further damage relations with Pakistan and possibly jeopardize the fate of US Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl who is being held by the militants.

But State Department and military officials who argued for the designation believed it would help curtail the group’s fund-raising activities in countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and pressure Pakistan to act against the militants, the newspaper said.

“This shows that we are using everything we can to put the squeeze on these guys,” one administration official involved in the process told the New York Times on condition of anonymity. The newspaper said four administration officials late Thursday said the government was going ahead with the designation.

Asked for comment on the New York Times story, a senior State Department official said: “As she noted earlier this week, the Secretary expects to send her report on the Haqqani network to Congress today, September 7, and announce her decision regarding designation of the Haqqani network.”

The al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network has been blamed by US officials for some of the worst recent attacks in Afghanistan, including attacks on the US Embassy in Kabul and on US troops.

The United States accuses Pakistan’s intelligence agency of supporting the Haqqani network and using it as a proxy in Afghanistan to gain leverage against the growing influence of its arch-rival India in the country.

Pakistan denies the allegations.

Kabul backs terror blacklist for Haqqanis: Spokesman

The Afghan government said it would fully support a US decision to blacklist the Haqqani network as a terrorist group, saying it would deal a crushing blow to insurgents seeking to bring down its administration.

Afghan officials have repeatedly joined their American counterparts in urging Pakistan to do more to eliminate the faction, as both Kabul and Islamabad trade blame for the violence plaguing both their countries.

“It will be a big move in destroying terrorists and their supporters, because the Haqqani network is the most dangerous terrorist group,” interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told AFP.

He predicted that a terrorist designation would “dismantle” the Haqqani faction and deal a major blow to its allies in the Taliban, which leads the insurgency against the Western-backed Kabul government.]]>
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			<title>Badruddin Haqqani killed: Afghan spy agency</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426778/badruddin-haqqani-killed-afghan-spy-agency</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426778/badruddin-haqqani-killed-afghan-spy-agency#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Aug 12 03:50:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=426778</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[We confirm Badruddin Haqqani was killed in a drone strike, says National Directorate of Security spokesman.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Afghanistan’s spy agency said on Sunday that the operational commander of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network responsible for spectacular attacks on Kabul had been killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan.


“We confirm that Badruddin Haqqani, who was the mastermind of almost all sophisticated attacks in Kabul, was killed in a drone strike,” National Directorate of Security spokesman Lutfullah Mashal told AFP.

“Our information is based on interception of the conversation of the guys (Haqqani members) on the ground who confirmed he was dead,” Mashal said.

The death of Badruddin, the son of Haqqani network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, has been rumoured for days but has been denied by the Taliban, to which the network is allied.

“This is propaganda of the enemy. Badruddin is alive and he will soon talk to the media,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.

“He is inside Afghanistan and busy with operations,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>‘US ready to cede three provinces to Haqqanis’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426756/%e2%80%98us-ready-to-cede-three-provinces-to-haqqanis%e2%80%99</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426756/%e2%80%98us-ready-to-cede-three-provinces-to-haqqanis%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 26 Aug 12 22:34:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[US official says Afgan provinces Paktia, Paktika and Khost could be given to Haqqanis if Taliban insurgency renounced.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Far from the hostile public position against the Haqqani network, the United States is eager to seek rapprochement with the group blamed for most of the deadliest attacks against the US-led Nato troops in Afghanistan.

Washington is willing not only to engage the group in talks but also to give it an important role in the future political dispensation of Afghanistan, according to a senior American military official.

He said the United States would hand over the control of three Afghan provinces to the Haqqanis if they agreed to withdraw their support for the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan.

The official spoke to The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the subject publicly.

Led by the aging warlord, Jalaluddin Haqqani, and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani, the network has a stronghold in Paktia, Paktika and Khost provinces. But, the group also has foot soldiers – believed to be in thousands – in many parts of the war-ravaged country.

The Haqqani network is accused of orchestrating some of the most spectacular attacks on US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan and is also credited with introducing suicide bombings as a major tactic of their asymmetric warfare.

“Neither the Americans nor Pakistanis can completely defeat the Haqqani network,” explained the American military official, citing the reason behind America’s willingness for peace talks with the group.

“We are ready for talks – but the problem is that the Haqqanis are really not forthcoming,” he added. “Therefore, we have no option but to use force against them.”

This is not the first time Washington showed its willingness to cut a deal with the Haqqanis. The group, though originally was not part of the Taliban, joined the ultraorthodox militia after it took over Kabul in 1996.

Following the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001, the United States had offered Jalaluddin Haqqani top positions – but he opted to fight them. The Haqqanis are considered crucial for the success of the Taliban insurgency.

The top US military official acknowledged that the Haqqani network was posing a real threat to the Nato/Isaf mission in Afghanistan. “The Taliban use IEDs but the Haqqanis have the ability and capability to cause the maximum damage to the foreign forces in Afghanistan,” he said.

Unlike the public position, the US official candidly admitted that Pakistan’s reluctance to go after the Haqqani network was linked to its fear of a strong backlash and not necessarily because it considers the group as its proxy.

“Pakistan can hurt the Haqqanis but General (Ashfaq Parvez) Kayani is reluctant to target them because he is worried about reprisal attacks,” he said.

When asked, the American official said that irrespective of the consequences, the US would want Pakistan to take a decisive action against the Haqqanis.

“Our objective is very clear that we want to dismantle the ability of the Haqqanis to target foreign forces in Afghanistan. If this can be done by bringing them to the negotiating table, we won’t mind that,” he said.

For years, the US has been pushing Pakistan to eliminate the ‘sanctuaries’ of the Haqqani network from the North Waziristan tribal region.

Recently, Gen Kayani indicated that Pakistan might launch an offensive in North Waziristan but insisted that such an operation would not be carried out at the behest of any outside power.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Top Haqqani militant killed: Afghan spy agency</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426618/top-haqqani-militant-killed-afghan-spy-agency</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426618/top-haqqani-militant-killed-afghan-spy-agency#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 26 Aug 12 17:56:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=426618</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[&quot;We confirm that Badruddin Haqqani was killed in a drone strike,&quot; said spokesman Lutfullah Mashal.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Afghanistan's spy agency said Sunday that the operational commander of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network responsible for spectacular attacks on Kabul had been killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan.

"We confirm that Badruddin Haqqani, who was the mastermind of almost all sophisticated attacks in Kabul, was killed in a drone strike," National Directorate of Security spokesman Lutfullah Mashal told AFP.

"Our information is based on interception of the conversation of the guys (Haqqani members) on the ground who confirmed he was dead," Mashal said.

The death of Badruddin, the son of Haqqani network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, has been rumoured for days but has been denied by the Taliban, to which the network is allied.

"This is propaganda of the enemy. Badruddin is alive and he will soon talk to the media," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.

"He is inside Afghanistan and busy with operations."

US drones killed at least 18 people last week when they struck several targets in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border, Pakistani security officials said.

But confirmation of whether Badruddin Haqqani died in the strikes has been difficult to obtain from the remote and mountainous area.

If Badruddin's death is confirmed it will be a serious blow to the organisation, seen by the United States as a major threat in the Afghan war, although his brother Sirajuddin Haqqani remains a key leader of the group.

The Haqqani network is a faction of the Afghan Taliban whose leaders are based in neighbouring Pakistan, where Islamabad has come under immense US pressure to wage an offensive against the group.

The network has been blamed for a series of well-coordinated commando-style raids on the Afghan capital targeting foreign embassies, NATO bases and government buildings.

US-led NATO forces have some 130,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting against a Taliban insurgency seeking to topple the government of President Hamid Karzai.]]>
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			<title>Scion of Haqqanis lives on, literally or in spirit?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426398/scion-of-haqqanis-lives-on-literally-or-in-spirit</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426398/scion-of-haqqanis-lives-on-literally-or-in-spirit#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 26 Aug 12 05:09:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[tahir.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=426398</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haqqani network, Afghan Taliban deny reported death of Badruddin Haqqani in US drone strike in Waziristan.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Hours after US media reports about the possible death of Badruddin Haqqani, the operational chief of the infamous Haqqani network, in a drone strike, denials trickled in.


If true, Badruddin’s death could have been a major blow to the Haqqani network and a huge success in America’s unmanned war in the tribal regions against the group blamed for some of the most spectacular attacks against US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan.

“Badruddin was killed in a US drone strike in the Shawal area of North Waziristan on Tuesday,” a sympathiser of the Haqqani network told The Express Tribune. “He was sitting with three or four of his comrades when an unmanned aircraft fired two missiles at the compound.”

A leader of a Pakistani religious organisation having close ties with the Haqqani network also confirmed Badruddin’s death. “We are in shock,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Earlier in the day, The New York Times quoted senior American officials as saying that they have strong indications that Badruddin was killed in the drone strike.

“There are indications that Haqqani has met his demise,” a senior US official told NYT in Washington. He said that officials were waiting to sift through evidence before they could be certain that Badruddin had been killed.

The CIA, which carries out armed drone missions in tribal regions, declined to comment, as did the White House. The caution stemmed from previous erroneous claims by American and Pakistani officials about militant deaths in Waziristan.

The caution was, however, not unfounded.

Later in the evening, the Haqqani network chief dismissed reports of Badruddin’s death as “ridiculous”.

“We will not hide it if any of the Haqqani family members are martyred,” Ahmad Jan, the purported spokesperson for the network’s chief Sirajuddin Haqqani, told The Express Tribune by phone. “Martyrdom will only boost our jihadi spirit.”

Jan, however, confirmed that another member of the Haqqani family was killed in the same drone strike. Osama, son of a cousin of Badruddin, was killed about five kilometres from Miramshah four days ago. The 13-year-old was targeted while he was celebrating Eid with his friends, according to Jan.

“Some people assumed it was Badruddin Haqqani who had been killed when they saw his family members at the funeral,” he said.

The Afghan Taliban also said that Badruddin was alive and leading operations inside Afghanistan. “He is safe and reports of his death have been spread by the enemy,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement emailed to The Express Tribune.

According to him, the enemy spread rumours of Badruddin’s death “to divert attention from the defeat of its troops in Afghanistan and boost the morale of its forces.”

“We categorically deny these reports and request the media to adopt a responsible behavior,” Mujahid said.

Pakistani analysts are divided over the impact Badruddin’s possible death would have on the operational capability of the Haqqani Network.

While defence expert Hasan Askari says Badruddin’s death would strengthen the US, former Pakistani ambassador in Kabul Rustam Shah Mohmand maintains it will have no major impact as Sirajuddin Haqqani is already in charge of the group’s operations.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Clinton considers blacklisting Haqqani network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/422711/clinton-considers-blacklisting-haqqani-network-2</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/422711/clinton-considers-blacklisting-haqqani-network-2#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 16 Aug 12 04:52:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=422711</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[US secretary of state has 30 days to determine if the Haqqanis meet the criteria of a terrorist group.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US State Department on Tuesday voiced concern about the Haqqani network and said it was studying whether to designate the group as ‘terrorists’ after strong appeals by the US Congress.


President Barack Obama’s administration has repeatedly demanded that Pakistan rein in the group and has targeted its members, but has stopped short of putting the network on the terror blacklist.

Obama on Friday signed a law – approved with overwhelming support of both parties in Congress – that gave 30 days to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to determine if the Haqqani network meets the criteria of a terrorist group.

“We share the grave concern of the Congress with regard to the activities of the Haqqani network,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

As for whether Clinton will designate the Haqqani network as terrorists, Nuland said without elaborating: “She’s considering right now and reviewing the issue.”

US officials have linked the Haqqani network to some of the most sensational attacks in Afghanistan including a June assault on a hotel near Kabul that killed 18 people and a siege last year of the US embassy.

Before stepping down as the top US military officer last year, Admiral Mike Mullen said that the Haqqani network had become a ‘veritable arm’ of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

The Senate and House of Representatives in their resolutions called on the State Department to add the network to its list of terrorist groups, which would freeze any Haqqani assets and make it a crime to fund them. But the State Department, while designating certain members as terrorists, has balked at blacklisting the entire group in part because of its purported close ties to Pakistan.

In light of Mullen’s remarks, a designation of the Haqqani network may essentially amount to describing Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism and hinder both cooperation with Islamabad and attempts to reach a negotiated solution with extremists to end the war in Afghanistan.

Some analysts argue that Pakistan’s relationship
with the Haqqani network is more nuanced than it appears, with Islamabad primarily seeking to preserve leverage with a dangerous movement.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Clinton considers blacklisting Haqqani network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/422327/clinton-considers-blacklisting-haqqani-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/422327/clinton-considers-blacklisting-haqqani-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 15 Aug 12 04:45:08 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=422327</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Obama signs law that gives 30 days to Clinton to determine if Haqqani network meets criteria of 'terrorist group'.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US State Department on Tuesday voiced concern about the Haqqani network and said it was studying whether to designate the group as terrorists after strong appeals by Congress.

President Barack Obama's administration has repeatedly demanded that Pakistan rein in the militant group active in Afghanistan and has targeted its members, but has stopped short of putting the network on the terror blacklist.

Obama on Friday signed a law - approved with overwhelming support of both parties in Congress - that gave 30 days to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to determine if the Haqqani network meets the criteria of a terrorist group.

"We share the grave concern of the Congress with regard to the activities of the Haqqani network," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

As for whether Clinton will designate the Haqqani network as terrorists, Nuland said without elaborating: "She's considering right now and reviewing the issue."

US officials have linked the Haqqani network to some of the most sensational attacks in Afghanistan including a June assault on a hotel near Kabul that killed 18 people and a siege last year of the US embassy.

The Senate and House of Representatives in their resolutions called on the State Department to add the network to its list of terrorist groups, which would freeze any Haqqani assets and make it a crime to fund them.

But the State Department, while designating certain members as terrorists, has balked at blacklisting the entire group in part because of its close ties to Pakistan.

Some analysts argue that Pakistan's relationship with the Haqqani network is more nuanced than it appears, with Islamabad primarily seeking to preserve leverage with a dangerous movement.]]>
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			<title>Obama signs act seeking scrutiny of Haqqanis</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/421028/obama-signs-act-seeking-scrutiny-of-haqqanis</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/421028/obama-signs-act-seeking-scrutiny-of-haqqanis#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 12 Aug 12 04:32:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=421028</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The Secretary of State will have to file the report within 30 days.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[President Obama has signed the Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2012 into law – a move that now requires the US Secretary of State to submit a report on whether the group meets the legal criteria for being designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.

The Secretary of State will have to file the report within 30 days.


Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Obama paves way for Haqqani network to be designated as an FTO</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/420820/obama-paves-way-for-haqqani-network-to-be-designated-as-an-fto</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/420820/obama-paves-way-for-haqqani-network-to-be-designated-as-an-fto#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 11 Aug 12 16:21:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=420820</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Secretary of State has 30 days to submit a report on whether Haqqani Network ought to be declared terrorist outfit.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US President Barack Obama on Saturday removed a key obstacle in labelling the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. 

President Obama on Saturday signed the Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2012 into law. The law requires the US Secretary of State to submit a report on whether the group meets the legal criteria for being designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.

The Secretary of State will have to file the report within 30 days.

Many lawmakers in the US Congress have urged the Obama administration to designate the Haqqani Network as an FTO. The group has been accused of spearheading attacks on US forces and the US embassy in Afghanistan.

The Obama administration is reportedly reluctant to put the group on the terrorism list while US envoys are trying to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban that may have included the Haqqani network.

But in pushing for the measure, lawmakers noted that those talks have been halted since last year.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers, called the resolution’s passage in July “a significant development.”

“The Haqqanis are engaged in a reign of terror in Afghanistan and the network poses the single largest threat for IEDs our soldiers face in that country,” he said.

“They actively plot and kill US and allied soldiers and routinely harm innocent Afghan civilian men, women and children in their path,” he said.

In June during a trip to Afghanistan, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta emphasised the key role the Haqqani network has played in numerous attacks and called on Pakistan to take action against it.]]>
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			<title>Goodbye, Haqqani network?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418265/goodbye-haqqani-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418265/goodbye-haqqani-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 06 Aug 12 17:07:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=418265</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The new line in Pakistan is that the doctrine of strategic depth is no longer the embraced philosophy.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[‘Diplomatic sources’ in Pakistan say, “The US and Pakistan have reached an understanding on joint operations against the Haqqani network but no final decision has been taken yet”. Outside, ‘leaks’ have appeared in the press indicating that “understanding for joint operations against the Haqqani network was reached at a meeting between senior US and Pakistani military commanders in Islamabad”. More clearly, The Wall Street Journal reported “that plans for joint operations” against the Haqqanis and Maulavi Fazlullah “were discussed in meetings between ISI chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam and top CIA, State Department and Pentagon officials in Washington”. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik used to throw broad hints at Americans for helping the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) assist in carrying out attacks inside Pakistan from the Afghan provinces, Kunar and Nuristan. Now, he says the Afghan government and its secret agency are doing the dastardly deed, not the Americans.

Apparently, our ISI chief General Islam got nowhere with the drones and an understanding on the subject was deferred. He is believed to have offered a proposal which urges the US to identify targets and let Pakistani F16s carry out the attacks. If there is no agreement on the drones, it could derail the whole process, not so much because the Pakistan Army hates the drones but because the Pakistani people and the media have been subjected to a hype about them by the concerned quarters, which may not be speaking with one voice.

Another question must bother the Pakistani side — if not the Americans — because they have more information about Pakistan’s real capacity to control events on its soil. The Haqqanis have a close relationship with al Qaeda and Admiral Michael Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accused the Haqqani network of being  “one of several extremist organisations serving as proxies of the Government of Pakistan”. The Haqqanis are lodged safely in North Waziristan, which the Pakistan Army says it cannot attack just yet for various reasons, in order to flush them out. But the network has extended itself to other areas, too, including the Kurram tribal agency. The Americans want to take the Haqqanis out because of their ability to kill in large areas of Afghanistan. They operate in the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia and Paktika and have an extensive presence in Kabul, Logar, Wardak, Ghazni, Zabul, Kandahar and Kunduz. Their outreach also includes the distant Afghan provinces of Badakhshan and Faryab.

If Pakistan gives up the Haqqani network, it gives up its trump card in the Afghan endgame. But the new line in Pakistan is that the doctrine of strategic depth is no longer the embraced philosophy and a new approach has been adopted. As far as the drones are concerned, the world sees pressure rather than conviction behind the Pakistani stand. Every time the Taliban attack and kill innocent Pakistanis, the clearly enunciated message is ‘get the Americans to stop their drones’. There is yet more lack of clarity. Is Pakistan able to deliver on the commitment it is vaguely making to the Americans through its ‘understanding’ on the Haqqanis? This is the question most analysts in the US will ask.

The question about the capacity of the state to control its territory is being asked in Pakistan but it is diverted to other emotive aspects of the sovereignty of the state vis-à-vis an intrusive strategy of the Americans to tackle terrorists that Pakistan cannot handle. If the Taliban were not obliged to own up to their acts of terrorism to make their presence felt, Pakistan is inclined to link all terror on its soil to America and India, as it is doing with respect to Balochistan. The problem here is that Pakistan is alone in the world in this thinking and its economy is in the process of a meltdown that cannot be halted without international help.

It is time to make a comprehensive policy shift. It is going to be difficult but as long as the international community understands that it is taking place, Pakistan’s chances of surviving remain bright.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Afghan forces capture intelligence data pointing at Haqqani network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/416518/afghan-forces-capture-intelligence-data-pointing-at-haqqani-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/416518/afghan-forces-capture-intelligence-data-pointing-at-haqqani-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 02 Aug 12 11:56:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=416518</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Target maps, telephone numbers recovered during raid had numbers for Haqqani network: Afghanistan's spy agency]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Afghan security forces captured intelligence data pointing at the Haqqani network during a raid in Kabul which killed five insurgents and wounded one on Thursday. The authorities said they had thwarted a massive attack.

Soldiers from Afghanistan's spy agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), launched the raid just after midnight, entering a single-story house compound on the fringes of Kabul which the insurgents were using as a base.

The NDS said target maps and telephone numbers recovered from the compound had numbers for the Haqqani network.

Haqqani network, allied with the Taliban and largely based in northwest Pakistan's border lands, have been blamed by Nato-led forces in Afghanistan for several high profile attacks in recent months.

"They [insurgents] planned mass attacks in different parts of Kabul disguised in burqas," the NDS said in a statement.

Police said two insurgents escaped during a gun battle that raged for five hours around the isolated compound, where the insurgents had been amassing weapons in a newly built brick house.

The militants had three vehicles loaded with explosives and suicide-bomb vests, as well as large stores of rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, and planned to occupy a high-rise building to attack the city's business heart.

The Taliban issued a statement denying that Thursday's operation had targeted their fighters.

"Progress"

The United States is pressing Pakistan to step up its efforts to root out militants, in particular the Haqqanis.

Pakistan has also long complained that the United States has overlooked its contribution to the fight against militants.

Nato's top commander in Afghanistan, US General John Allen, met Pakistani counterparts in Islamabad on Thursday to discuss cross border security in the wake of hundreds of rocket attacks in eastern Afghanistan which Afghan officials have blamed on the Pakistan army.

Pakistan has denied the accusation.

"We are making significant progress toward building a partnership that is enduring, strategic, carefully defined, and that enhances the security and prosperity of the region," Allen said in a statement after his talks.

The Nato-led force in Afghanistan has acknowledged an 11 percent spike in attacks over the past three months since the start of the summer fighting period, although overall the number of foreign soldiers killed is down on last year.

Eighty-five were killed in June and July against 119 over the same period last year.]]>
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			<title>US inches closer to labeling Haqqani Network a terrorist organisation</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/413985/us-inches-closer-to-labeling-haqqani-network-a-terrorist-organisation</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/413985/us-inches-closer-to-labeling-haqqani-network-a-terrorist-organisation#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jul 12 18:36:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=413985</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The bill still needs to be signed by President Barrack Obama to come into force.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US Senate on Friday unanimously passed a resolution urging the State Department to put the Haqqani network, which operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the US list of terrorist groups.

The late Thursday voted followed the passing of a resolution in the House of Representative last week. It now requires President Barack Obama's signature to enter into force.

The resolution says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should designate the militant network as a foreign terrorist group.

It gives the State Department 30 days to report on whether it meets the criteria under the law, and if not, to explain why not.

The Obama administration is reportedly reluctant to put the group on the terrorism list while US envoys are trying to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban that may have included the Haqqani network.

But in pushing for the measure, lawmakers noted that those talks have been halted since last year.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers, called the resolution's passage "a significant development."

"The Haqqanis are engaged in a reign of terror in Afghanistan and the network poses the single largest threat for IEDs our soldiers face in that country," he said.

"They actively plot and kill US and allied soldiers and routinely harm innocent Afghan civilian men, women and children in their path," he said.

In June during a trip to Afghanistan, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta emphasized the key role the Haqqani network has played in numerous attacks and called on Pakistan to take action against it.]]>
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			<title>US House approves Haqqani network bill</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/409869/us-congress-approves-haqqani-network-bill</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/409869/us-congress-approves-haqqani-network-bill#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jul 12 00:46:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=409869</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Once passed by the Senate and signed by the President, Secretary of State will have 30 days to present a report.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill which asks the Secretary of State to submit a report within 30 days on whether the Haqqani Network meets the criteria set for being designated as a terrorist network. 

The Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2011 had been put up for a vote at last week's session. While it was debated, the session was adjourned without the House voting on it. However, on Tuesday, the House picked up where it had left off on the matter and approved it by a voice vote. The approved bill is a House-amended version and has to be approved by the US Senate again before it is sent to the US president for approval.

The bill stipulates that 30 days after the President has approved it, Secretary of State has to submit a report to Congressional committees on the matter. Additionally, the bill includes that “nothing in this Act may be construed to infringe upon the sovereignty of Pakistan to combat militant or terrorist groups operating inside the boundaries of Pakistan.”

The text of the bill states that the Congress has found that the Haqqani Network was responsible for attacks on US-led forces in Afghanistan, as well as on the US Embassy in Kabul.

Citing former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen’s Senate testimony calling the Haqqani Network as a “veritable arm” of the ISI, the bill states that top leaders of the Haqqani network have already been added to a list of “specially designated global terrorists.”

The Senate has already passed the bill, which was introduced by Senator Richard Burr, in December 2011. The bill is now being brought to the House floor, where it was expected to be voted on on Jully 9, 2012.

US authorities have repeatedly pressed the Government of Pakistan to take action against the Haqqani network, an insurgent group that has been accused of several attacks on US-led and coalition forces in Afghanistan and is believed to have bases on both sides of the Durand line.]]>
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			<title>Terrorists?: US Congress to vote on Haqqani network bill</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/405792/terrorists-us-congress-to-vote-on-haqqani-network-bill</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/405792/terrorists-us-congress-to-vote-on-haqqani-network-bill#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jul 12 14:47:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=405792</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The Senate has already passed the bill, which was introduced by Senator Richard Burr, in December 2011.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US Congress did not vote on a bill on Monday which called for the Secretary of State to report whether the Haqqani network meets the criteria for being designated as a terrorist network.

The Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2011 stipulates that 30 days after the President has approved the bill, the Secretary of State has to submit a report to Congressional committees on the matter. Additionally, the bill includes that “nothing in this Act may be construed to infringe upon the sovereignty of Pakistan to combat militant or terrorist groups operating inside the boundaries of Pakistan.”

The House had convened on Monday evening to discuss the bill, but the session was adjourned to Tuesday without a vote.

The text of the bill states that the Congress has found that the Haqqani Network was responsible for attacks on US-led forces in Afghanistan, as well as on the US Embassy in Kabul.

Citing former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen’s Senate testimony calling the Haqqani Network as a “veritable arm” of the ISI, the bill states that top leaders of the Haqqani network have already been added to a list of “specially designated global terrorists.”

The Senate has already passed the bill, which was introduced by Senator Richard Burr, in December 2011. The bill is now being brought to the House floor, where it was expected to be voted on on Monday evening.

US authorities have repeatedly pressed the Government of Pakistan to take action against the Haqqani network, an insurgent group that has been accused of several attacks on US-led and coalition forces in Afghanistan and is believed to have bases on both sides of the Durand line.]]>
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			<title>US general accuses Haqqani network of Kabul attack</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/397699/us-general-accuses-haqqani-network-of-kabul-attack</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/397699/us-general-accuses-haqqani-network-of-kabul-attack#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jun 12 13:21:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=397699</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan-based Haqqani network accused of orchestrating a 12-hour siege on a lakeside hotel in Kabul.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan on Friday accused the Pakistan-based Haqqani network of orchestrating a 12-hour siege on a lakeside hotel in Kabul that killed 18 people.

General John Allen blamed the Al-Qaeda-linked network in a statement just weeks after US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the United States was running out of patience with Pakistan over its refusal to eliminate terror havens.

The Haqqani group, believed to be based in Pakistan's lawless tribal district of North Waziristan, is blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan's 10-year war.

"Afghan national security forces and coalition military sources acknowledge that this attack bears the signature of the Haqqani network, which continues to target and kill innocent Afghans and blatantly violate Afghan sovereignty from the safety of Pakistan," Allen said.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force confirmed that its troops and Afghan security forces had responded to the assault.

But Allen emphasised the role played by Afghan forces, seeking to downplay concerns about the ability of the local police and army to manage after NATO combat troops withdraw in 2014.

Allen said he had been "extremely impressed" with the Afghan response.

"There should be little doubt about their ability and capability to protect the Afghan people in the years ahead," he said.

He condemned the "unspeakably brutal attack" on civilians and paid tribute to the security guards and law enforcement officers who died in order to protect women and children.

In Afghanistan on June 7, Panetta warned Pakistan that Washington was losing patience over its failure to eliminate safe havens for the Haqqanis and other Islamist militants who attack US troops across the border.]]>
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			<title>Taliban suicide attack hits NATO, kills 21</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/396487/taliban-suicide-attack-hits-nato-kills-21</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/396487/taliban-suicide-attack-hits-nato-kills-21#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jun 12 14:38:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=396487</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Another 37 people were wounded in the blast in the eastern town close to the border with Pakistan.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A Taliban suicide bomber on a motorbike rammed an Afghan-Nato patrol in the town of Khost on Wednesday, killing 21 people, including three Nato soldiers, officials said.

Another 37 people were wounded in the blast in the eastern town close to the border with Pakistan, where Taliban and other insurgents fighting US-led troops have strongholds, hospital officials said.

It was the second major attack on Nato in Khost in three weeks. The government blamed the Taliban and a spokesman for the insurgent militia later claimed responsibility for the attack.

The bombing will only heighten fears about security as Nato prepares to hand responsibility to Afghan forces and recall the vast majority of its 130,000 combat troops by the end of 2014.

The Taliban, leading a 10-year insurgency against the Western-backed government, have begun their annual fighting season with a series of attacks that forced US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to admit that violence was rising.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said Wednesday's blast targeted a combined Afghan and coalition patrol passing through Khost, one of the most troubled parts of Afghanistan.

Khost shares a porous border with Pakistan's tribal belt, which lies outside government control, and where US officials say the Taliban and al Qaeda have carved out bases for operations in Afghanistan.

The Haqqani network, a militant group close to al Qaeda and blamed for some of the most daring insurgent attacks in Afghanistan, is particularly active in the province.

Amir Padsha, the director of Khost city hospital, said the bodies of three police officers and eight civilians, along with 17 wounded were brought in.

Babri Gul, the head of the Babri Gul private hospital in Khost, said he had received six bodies, including four members of the same family, and 20 wounded.

The US embassy in Kabul released a statement confirming that three members of the US-led Nato mission and an Afghan interpreter were killed. An Isaf official told AFP the three personnel were soldiers.

Afghan police and interior ministry officials confirmed that the four dead announced by the Americans were in addition to the 17 Afghan bodies taken to local hospitals.

A Taliban spokesman told AFP by telephone that one of its fighters blew himself up alongside a US military patrol in Khost, killing 10 American soldiers, including a translator, and four Afghan policemen.

The militia are known to exaggerate their claims and did not speak about civilian deaths.

In Khost on June 1, a suicide truck bomber targeted a US-run base in an incident that killed up to 15 people. US media reported that more than 100 American troops were treated for injuries after that blast.

For the past five years the number of civilians killed in the war has risen steadily, reaching a record 3,021 in 2011 – the vast majority caused by insurgents, according to UN figures.

The US-led Nato force is also responsible for hundreds of civilian casualties every year, mostly in air strikes aimed at insurgents in Afghan villages.

In southern Afghanistan, a roadside bomb attack killed at least six civilians, including women and children travelling on a tractor in Puli Alam, the capital of Logar province, deputy provincial police chief Rahis Khan Sadiq told AFP.

"Four children and two women were killed and four others were wounded," he said.

On Tuesday, Taliban suicide attackers struck two Afghan-Nato facilities in the southern province of Kandahar – the birthplace of the extremist movement and the heartland of its insurgency.

The Taliban have waged a bloody fight against Karzai's administration since they were ousted from power in a US-led invasion in 2001.]]>
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			<title>In a rare move, Afghan Taliban praise India</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/395289/in-a-rare-move-afghan-taliban-praise-india</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/395289/in-a-rare-move-afghan-taliban-praise-india#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jun 12 04:45:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Naveed Hussain]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=395289</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Say the US wants New Delhi to shoulder the ‘heavy burden of war so that they could find an exit’.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In an unusual move, the Afghan Taliban have acknowledged India as a ‘significant’ regional player and praised it for resisting US pressure for a greater role in Afghanistan post-2014.

On a trip to New Delhi earlier this month, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta urged the Indian leadership to “continue with additional support to Afghanistan through trade and investment, reconstruction, and help for Afghan security forces”.

According to reliable sources, “the Indian authorities did not pay heed to (the American) demands and showed their reservations, because the Indians know or they should know that the Americans are grinding their own axe,” said a Taliban statement posted on their ‘Voice of Jihad’ website.

It added that the United States wanted India to shoulder “the heavy burden (of war)” so that they could “find an exit and to flee from Afghanistan”.

But the Indians are aware of the Afghan people’s love for freedom, the statement said. “It is totally illogical they should plunge their nation into a calamity (just to please the Americans).”

The statement described India as a ‘significant country’ which knows much about Afghanistan with which it has a long relationship.

During the Afghan civil war sparked by the withdrawal of the Red Army, India had supported the Northern Alliance, an umbrella of non-Pashtun minorities, against the Taliban but was pushed out of Afghanistan after the ultraorthodox militia took over in 1996.

India, like US and its allies, believe that Pakistan is covertly stoking the insurgency of the Taliban who are overwhelmingly Pashtun. Several attacks on Indian interests in Afghanistan were blamed on the Haqqani Network – the deadliest of all Taliban factions.

Since the ouster of the Taliban regime, India has focused more on infrastructure development and capacity building. It is helping reconstruct Afghan parliament, equip the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital and train students in various vocations.

Later this month, India will host a day-long conference to discuss international private-sector investment in the war-hit, impoverished country, according to Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson Janan Musazai.

New Delhi is also offering training courses for officers of the Afghan National Army and police – putting arch-rival Pakistan ill at ease.

The Taliban statement reiterated its belief in peaceful coexistence but warned against any foreign interference in their country.

“We want to have cordial relations (with all neighbours) on the basis of sovereignty, equality, mutual respect and non interference in each other’s internal affairs,” it added.

At the same time, the Taliban sought to address India’s concerns in a post-US withdrawal Afghanistan. “We have made it clear that no one would be allowed to use the Afghan soil for anyone’s detriment,” the statement said.

In the end the statement renewed the Taliban’s call for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and to “leave the sovereignty of Afghanistan for Afghans themselves”.

Analysts believe that the rare appreciation of India shows that the Taliban are becoming independent and pragmatic in their dealings with other regional countries.

But for Indian security analysts, it’s a sort of veiled warning to India to back off. “It’s more a gentle reminder asking India not to mess around in Afghanistan after the Americans leave,” Vikram Sood, a former chief of India’s intelligence agency, told Reuters.

(With additional input from Reuters)

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Afghanistan set to press Pakistan on terror havens</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/393039/afghanistan-set-to-press-pakistan-on-terror-havens</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/393039/afghanistan-set-to-press-pakistan-on-terror-havens#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jun 12 08:15:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=393039</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Peace depends on regional cooperation to smash sanctuaries for militant networks: Afghan President Hamid Karzai]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Afghanistan is expected to use the latest round of international talks on its future on Thursday to raise pressure on Pakistan over militant safe havens ahead of the departure of foreign troops.

Representatives from 29 countries will gather in Kabul for the one-day conference, which follows a meeting in Istanbul in November aimed at mapping out the future of the war-torn country after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) troops leave in 2014.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says peace depends on regional cooperation to smash sanctuaries for militant networks waging violence in his country, and has voiced hope that Pakistan can help in this process.

In April, militants staged a spectacular coordinated attack in Kabul which Washington blamed on the Haqqani network.

Last week, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta added to concerns about worsening violence by describing a June 6 double suicide attack in the southern city of Kandahar as "much more organised than we've seen before".

Islamabad denies any support for Haqqani activities, but the group's leaders are widely believed to have strongholds in North Waziristan.

Last year, then US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen described the network as a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Pakistanis say the Americans and Afghans are trying to find a scapegoat for the deterioration of the decade-old war in Afghanistan and that no country has suffered from terrorism more than Pakistan.

But in Afghanistan and the United States, critics say Pakistan's resistance to cracking down on militant sanctuaries has only fuelled attacks.

"That is why we have continued to witness major attacks, including on US interests inside Afghanistan, that have frustrated US and Afghan officials," Najib Mahmood, a political science lecturer at Kabul University, told AFP.

"I believe the Afghan government will seize the opportunity in this conference to put added pressure on Pakistan to deal with this problem more seriously," he said.

Panetta said in Afghanistan last week that the United States was running out of patience with Pakistan's refusal to eliminate terror havens.

The Afghan foreign ministry said Kabul would do whatever it took to combat the threat of terrorism posed to the world and to Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan has been affected by this menace in the worst possible way, of course we will make all efforts in this conference to find a solution for the problem of terrorism," said spokesman Faramerz Tamana.

Pakistan confirmed that Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar would attend Thursday's conference and reiterated it was doing everything in its power to fight terrorism and extremism.

"Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used against any country, nor will it allow any safe havens on its territory," foreign ministry spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan told AFP.

"Nobody should doubt our resolve and determination in this regard. Our sacrifices remain unparalleled and our resolve unshakable," he said.

But Afghans have few expectations of swift action from Islamabad. "Given the resistance Pakistan has shown to similar pressures by the United States and Nato, it is highly improbable Pakistan will change its stance on the issue of militancy on its soil," Mahmood said.

Strategies to combat terrorism and drug trafficking and respond to natural disasters are expected to be on the table at the "Heart of Asia" conference, as well as moves to strengthen trade and economic relations.

Ahmad Saeedi, an Afghan analyst and author, said Afghanistan was keen to use the conference to develop its role in the region.

"Afghanistan has been seen as a source of war, violence and problems for the past few decades. It is trying to change that image now," he said.

"This conference is an opportunity for Afghanistan and the Afghan government to change its image from being a subject or a problem to a country that can contribute in tackling challenges facing the region."

Besides regional foreign ministers, Thursday's one-day conference will also bring together representatives from international organisations, including Nato, the European Union and the United Nations.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>America and the Haqqani network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/392735/america-and-the-haqqani-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/392735/america-and-the-haqqani-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jun 12 19:08:29 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shahzad chaudhry]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=392735</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It is naive of the US to expect Pakistan to open more fronts in North Waziristan.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[When Leon Panetta says that America has run out of patience with Pakistan, it reflects how a superpower tends to think of an irritating serf. But that is not what we told ourselves when we joined the American-led war on terror. Instead, we embellished the relationship with strategic nuances to make its transactional nature palatable. There is, therefore, an abiding mismatch in the foundation of this relationship in its latest avatar: America’s tactical interests against Pakistan’s effort to seek strategic accommodation.

There has been an active anti-American industry in Pakistan, which has instituted hatred against America in popular perception. All this while, Pakistan, as state policy, was aligned with the US on the battlefield and was sacrificing on the fronts, as well as in its cities inside its territory. In contrast, the Americans have been tardy in how they have gone about contesting this space and managing perceptions. They have either been too arrogant with their couldn’t- care-less approach, or too transparent with their attempts to win over some focal power brokers without worrying about how the public space was being lost. Such is the cavalier abandon that tends to ride America’s policy formulation.

The rubs between America and Pakistan are many: the failing venture in Afghanistan with its rather poorer cousin called ‘relative gain’ replacing the much vaunted ‘finite victory’ that should have been the goal of a superpower; the incapacity of the political structure in Afghanistan to withstand the aftershock of a departing America; a Pakistan that will not bid against the Haqqanis on America’s behalf; and an environment in a drift that sees another American expedition coming to a close, while the promised dialogue with the Taliban faltering before it even got going.

America will have a lot to answer to history for its current misadventure: taking its ‘eyes off the ball’ via the Iraqi diversion; a mismatch of policy within the US establishment that never let a unified approach take effect in Afghanistan; and, mishandling a key coalition partner in Afghanistan. Many trillions later, it is the junior partner Pakistan that must carry the blame.

What of the Haqqanis? One, Osama, Mullah Omar and Haqqani, arrived in Pakistan from Afghanistan — they weren’t nestled here from the start. Two, the Pakistani military had a war imposed on them not of their making; Pakistan owned another country’s war despite intense domestic opposition to it. Three, the war spawned heinous sublets when splinter groups assembled under the banner of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and threatened Pakistan’s state and society and continue to do so. Four, Pakistani troops deployed in Fata equal the cumulative force from 48 nations that is fighting the same extended adversary in Afghanistan. Five, the operations in Swat, South Waziristan and the continuing battles in Orakzai and Khyber agencies; frequent forays into Pakistan by the TTP fugitives from their Afghan havens; and, a sprinkling of unilateral American assaults, all form the operational scene relentlessly engaging the Pakistani military. Pakistan, never ready for such a form of war, has nevertheless, learnt the ropes quickly. In a mosaic as complicated as this, the Haqqanis are a minor irritant.

In 2010, US President Barack Obama unveiled his vision for Afghanistan. It centred around dialogue as the most prudent option to end this war. That is also when the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill was arranged for $1.5 billion to come Pakistan’s way to provide it succour in the face of the war that it had been subjected to. The pittance came with unstinted additional pressure to ‘do more’. More for the way the war was heading to a closure than the monies involved, Pakistan did not find it prudent to initiate a new front in North Waziristan, especially since the intent was to seek peace. There was no way that Pakistan could push itself into a war that was likely to keep it embroiled even after the US had finished its war. It is naive of the US to expect Pakistan to open more fronts in North Waziristan. Instead, Pakistan will wait for the conditions to become conducive for the foreign elements to return to Afghanistan. Then it shall be for their own country to deal with them as it pleases; Pakistan is not about to fight another nation’s war, anymore.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Taliban deny reports of Haqqani’s death</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/386233/taliban-deny-reports-of-haqqani%e2%80%99s-death</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/386233/taliban-deny-reports-of-haqqani%e2%80%99s-death#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 30 May 12 07:57:39 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=386233</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[We strongly dismiss the reports that Jalaluddin Haqqani is dead, he’s alive, says Taliban spokesperson.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Taliban on Wednesday denied reports of the death of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani network which is regularly blamed for major attacks in Afghanistan.

“We strongly dismiss the reports that Jalaluddin Haqqani is dead. He’s alive,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP, attributing the reports to “government propaganda”.

The Haqqanis, who are closely affiliated with the Taliban, are a key player in the insurgency against US-led Nato troops and Karzai’s Western-backed government, particularly in eastern Afghanistan.

Tolo, Afghanistan’s first 24-hour rolling news television channel, said Jalaluddin had died from kidney disease, claiming on its Twitter feed that the Taliban had confirmed it.

The United States blamed last month’s 18-hour assault on Kabul, the biggest to hit the capital in a decade, on the Haqqani network, saying the group’s leaders planned the attack from North Waziristan in Pakistan.

Before stepping down as chief US military officer last year, Admiral Mike Mullen caused a sensation when he told Congress that the Haqqani network was a “veritable arm” of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Haqqani was a mujahedeen leader sponsored by the CIA, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia during the fight against Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. He served in the Taliban government after it took power in 1996 following years of civil war.

He is known to have close ties to al Qaeda, and after the fall of the Taliban regime in the 2001 US-led invasion, he joined the insurgency.

In recent years, his son Sirajuddin has taken on increasing leadership within the group from his father, who was born in 1942.]]>
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			<title>US puts two men having suspected links to Taliban, Haqqani network on blacklist</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/380684/us-puts-two-men-having-suspected-links-to-taliban-haqqani-network-on-blacklist</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/380684/us-puts-two-men-having-suspected-links-to-taliban-haqqani-network-on-blacklist#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 12 22:24:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=380684</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[US Treasury put Bakht Gul, and Abdul Baqi Bari on its blacklist for having ties with Haqqani network, fund Taliban.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US Treasury Department put two people that it alleged have ties to militant groups active in Afghanistan on a blacklist on Thursday and banned American citizens from any dealings with them.         

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said Bakht Gul was a communications official for the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, working on behalf of a Haqqani network commander, Badruddin Haqqani, accused by the United States of involvement in attacks in Afghanistan.

The other person sanctioned includes Abdul Baqi Bari, a money launderer and financial manager for the Taliban.

Treasury said Bari funneled funds to support al Qaeda and that Osama Bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader killed in a US raid on his hideout in Pakistan last year, had given Bari and an associate $500,000 to buy a factory in 2002.

It said Gul relayed reports from commanders in Afghanistan to the Haqqani Network, which is based along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and had coordinated movements of weapons and insurgents.

Besides forbidding Americans from doing business with the two, Treasury said that any assets that they were found to be holding in the United States will be blocked.]]>
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			<title>Re-evaluation of our Afghan policy</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/379175/re-evaluation-of-our-afghan-policy</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/379175/re-evaluation-of-our-afghan-policy#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 12 16:40:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[asad.munir]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=379175</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan should participate in the Chicago Summit and extend all possible help to the Afghan government.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[A 10-year strategic partnership agreement between the US and Afghanistan has been signed recently which will shape long-term Nato involvement in Afghanistan. After signing the agreement, President Barack Obama addressed US citizens from Bagram base in Kabul highlighting the road-map for the process of transition in Afghanistan. He also referred to Pakistan saying that it should be an equal partner in this process in a way that respects Pakistan’s “sovereignty, interests and democratic institutions. The US has no other design beyond respecting Afghan sovereignty and ending al Qaeda safe havens”.

Between the lines, some messages have been conveyed. Pakistan should assist the Afghan government in negotiations with the Taliban and become an equal partner in the process. Respect for Afghan sovereignty implies that terrorists entering Afghanistan from our soil should not be encouraged and interference in internal Afghan affairs should be avoided. President Obama mentioned the al Qaeda’s safe havens but did not touch upon the presence of the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan.

The US wants to exit Afghanistan but would like to leave with a stable government in place in Kabul, which is acceptable to all Afghan factions, including the Taliban. In order for that to happen, suitable measures are being planned to prevent the country from plunging into chaos and a possible civil war upon withdrawal of Nato Forces.

Pakistan has two major security concerns related to Afghanistan, the Durand Line and the perceived presence and influence of India. The Durand Line and Pashtunistan issues have been raised by different Afghan regimes in the past. However, it may no longer be a concern. Pashtuns are now so well integrated in Pakistani society that the majority will never opt for Pashtunistan or Afghanistan. Afghan-Pashtun refugees have been staying in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for more than 30 years.Threat perceptions about Afghanistan need re-evaluation so that suitable changes are made in our Afghan policy. The current one, used for over the last three decades, has only resulted in greater violence and instability in both countries. Instead of creating goodwill by sheltering millions of Afghan refugees, we have only gained the hatred of common Afghans due to our policy.

The ability of Pakistani terrorists to strike has been diluted to a great extent through army operations but they are not yet finished. Insisting on having a government of our choice in Afghanistan may not be a feasible option in the prevailing environment. A government in Kabul, not hostile to Pakistan and which does not interfere in our internal affairs, should be acceptable. Threat perceptions about Indian presence in Afghanistan should also be re-evaluated; it may not be such a serious threat to our security as perceived.

Nato supplies should be resumed as per recommendations of the parliament. Pakistan should participate in the Chicago Summit and extend all possible help to the Afghan government. The government should not succumb to pressures and threats of other political parties, not representing the will of the people.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>US legislators want Haqqani network to be deemed 'terrorist' group</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/377657/us-legislators-want-haqqani-network-to-be-deemed-terrorist-group</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/377657/us-legislators-want-haqqani-network-to-be-deemed-terrorist-group#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 12 20:09:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=377657</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[In letter sent to Clinton, they say the Haqqani network continues to target US interests in Afghanistan.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The leaders of congressional intelligence committees, who recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan, have urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to immediately designate the militant Haqqani network as a "terrorist" group.

US officials blame the al Qaeda-linked network for attacks in Afghanistan including assaults on embassies and the parliament in Kabul. The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, had called the Haqqani group a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's intelligence service.

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate and House of Representatives intelligence committees, in a letter to Clinton, on Friday, said their trip to Afghanistan last week reaffirmed concerns about the network.

"It was clear that the Haqqani network continues to launch sensational and indiscriminate attacks against US interests in Afghanistan and the group poses a continuing threat to innocent men, women, and children in the region," the letter said.

In the six months since the State Department said in November it was engaged in a final review, "the Haqqanis have continued to attack US troops and the US Embassy in Kabul," the lawmakers wrote.

The letter said the administration may have been reluctant to designate the network as a "terrorist" group while trying to negotiate a reconciliation agreement with the Taliban. But US Ambassador Ryan Crocker told the lawmakers last week there have been no such talks since late last year and Afghan President Hamid Karzai has opposed their continuation.

The letter, signed by senators Dianne Feinstein and Saxby Chambliss and Representatives Mike Rogers and CA "Dutch" Ruppersberger, said there was no reason not to move forward on the designation.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the lawmakers' letter had been received, and that the review of the potential designation was still under way.

But she pointed out that many key Haqqani leaders had already been targeted by individual designations, freezing any US-based assets they might have and barring any US citizen from transactions with them.

"As we continue our review we consider it absolutely essential to designate individuals because that allows us to pursue the assets of individuals rather than have to sort of try to divine who might be covered by a blanket designation," Nuland said.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Safe passage for the Taliban</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/371315/safe-passage-for-the-taliban</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/371315/safe-passage-for-the-taliban#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 28 Apr 12 19:25:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=371315</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[For the Taliban, negotiations appear to be a way to ultimately come back into power.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The decision by the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan to allow ‘reconcilable’ elements of the Afghan Taliban a safe passage into other countries seems to be a case of convenience trumping good sense. The US timetable to begin its phased withdrawal from Afghanistan is approaching and the Obama Administration realises that it can no longer win that decade-old war. The only way for it to leave Afghanistan and claim any kind of victory is by negotiating with the Taliban and hoping that some kind of uneasy truce is brokered. Whether this approach will work or not, remains to be seen. The Karzai government is weaker than ever, while the Taliban seem to be on the ascendancy. For the Taliban, negotiations appear to be a way to ultimately come back into power.

For Pakistan, this development vindicates its stance of calling for engagement with those elements within the Afghan Taliban who were open to reconciliation. Pakistan will now be hoping that the peace process in the region will receive a boost and move forward.

These negotiations also show hypocrisy in the approach adopted by the US. On previous occasions, when Pakistan negotiated with the Taliban based within its territory, the US denounced us as appeasers and Taliban supporters. The US also repeatedly insisted that we go after the Haqqani network, which is allied to the Afghan Taliban. Now, on the other hand, we are part of the negotiations that have allowed the Afghan Taliban safe passage. This will likely mean an increase in Afghan Taliban fighters making their way to Pakistan. Since we have agreed to this, it is time the US realises that it is practically impossible for us to rout every Taliban group based in the country. The US cannot be the only country allowed to dictate how reconciliation takes place.

America also needs to realise that the difference between the so-called ‘moderate’ Taliban and the rest of the group is one of tactics, not ideology. Ousting the Karzai government and taking over Afghanistan, as it had done in the 1990s, is the ultimate aim of the Afghan Taliban. As fruitless as the Afghan war now seems, the current stalemate will pale in comparison to the defeat the US suffers if the Taliban return to power.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2012. ]]>
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			<title>Militancy in North Waziristan: 8 dead in TTP-Haqqani network clashes</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367295/militancy-in-north-waziristan-8-dead-in-ttp-haqqani-network-clashes</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367295/militancy-in-north-waziristan-8-dead-in-ttp-haqqani-network-clashes#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 12 03:30:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367295</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Residents flee area as fighting continues.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Fierce clashes between the Haqqani network and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan left at least eight people dead in North Waziristan Agency, local sources said on Thursday.


“The Taliban attacked Malik Karim Khan’s tribe late Wednesday night. The tribe resisted the attack, leading to crossfire,” a local resident said, requesting anonymity.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the clash started in the early hours of Thursday and intensified after the deaths of TTP commander Jehanzeb Khan and Haqqani commander Qadir Haqqani.

The clashes erupted in the Malik Shadam Khan area of the agency’s Speen Waam sub-district, which shares a border with Afghanistan. Six people, including a woman, were killed by members of the Haqqani network in the primary clash. In retaliation, two Haqqani network men were killed and several houses in the area suffered damage due to the use of heavy weaponry.

According to an official of the Mirali political administration, who spoke on condition of anonymity, a local tribal elder Gulbuddin was killed in the clash. Gulbuddin was among those tribesmen who were trying to broker a ceasefire between the two parties.

The group continued fighting at the time of filing this report. Sources said the TTP was led by Sattar, who was nominated commander after his cousin Jehanzeb’s death. The Haqqani network, they said, is being commandeered by a man named Sangeen.

They said that residents have begun fleeing the area, where both groups have taken positions against each other. Tribal elders and religious clerics are making efforts to broker a ceasefire between the warring groups.

There was no estimate of how many fighters were involved, but sources said the number runs in the hundreds for both groups.

The clashes have a history. Two years ago, a son of Malik Karim Khan had gone missing and the tribe suspected that he was kidnapped by local Taliban militants. The tribe then abducted two people, believed to be associated with the Taliban. Karim Khan’s son was released but killed within days of being freed, leading to renewed suspicion.

Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a senior Taliban commander, had asked the people of North Waziristan to rise up against all forces that were using the agency’s soil for their own motives. He had asked the people of the “South”, a clear reference to the TTP which mostly consists of the Mehsud tribesmen, to respect their land and property. The statement was made through a pamphlet distributed in Mir Ali, two days after the Bannu jailbreak, for which the TTP claimed responsibility.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Not allies: 8 dead as TTP, Haqqani Network clash in North Waziristan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367215/not-allies-8-dead-as-ttp-haqqani-network-clash-in-north-waziristan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367215/not-allies-8-dead-as-ttp-haqqani-network-clash-in-north-waziristan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 12 18:47:37 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367215</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Locals say residents have begun to flee the area as fighting continued till late night.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Intense clashes between the Haqqani Network and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan left at least eight people dead in North Waziristan Agency, local sources said on Thursday.

“Taliban attacked Malik Karim Khan’s tribe late Wednesday night. The tribe resisted the attack, leading to crossfire,” a local resident said, requesting anonymity.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the clash started in the early hours of Thursday and intensified after the deaths of TTP Commander Jehanzeb Khan and Haqqani Commander Qadir Haqqani.

Clashes erupted in the Malik Shadam Khan area of NWA’s Speen Waam sub-district, which shares a border with Afghanistan. Six people, including a woman, were killed by members of the Haqqani Network in the primary clash. In retaliation, two Haqqani Network men were killed and several houses in the area suffered damage due to the use of heavy weaponry.

According to an official of the Mirali Political Administration, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the event, a local tribal elder Gulbuddin was killed in the clash. Gulbuddin was among those tribesmen who were trying to broker a ceasefire between the two parties.

The group continued fighting at the time of filing this report. Sources said the TTP was led by Sattar, who was nominated the commander after his cousin Jehanzeb’s death. The Haqqani Network, they said, is being commandeered by a man named Sangeen.

They said that residents have begun fleeing the area, where both groups have taken positions against each other. Tribal elders and religious clerics are making efforts to broker a ceasefire between the warring groups.

There was no estimate of how many fighters were involved, but sources said the number runs in the hundreds for both groups.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Reprehensible that ISI maintains ties with Haqqani network: Senator McCain</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366777/reprehensible-that-isi-maintains-ties-with-haqqani-network-senator-mccain</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366777/reprehensible-that-isi-maintains-ties-with-haqqani-network-senator-mccain#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 12 19:56:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=366777</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says it is frustrating that Pakistan maintains ties with a network responsible for deaths of Americans.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Former US presidential hopeful, Republican Senator John McCain says it is reprehensible that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence maintains a close relationship with the Haqqani Network that is responsible for American deaths.

Addressing a packed hall at the think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC, Senator McCain said that he had sympathy for Pakistan's military since the Pakistani government is dysfunctional, but said that it remained a "source of never ending frustration" that the ISI had a continuous relationship with the Haqqani Network, when General Kayani is responsible for appointing the head of the ISI.

In response to a question on General Kayani's recent statement regarding India, the US senator said while he appreciated the statement, the fact remains that the Pakistan Army's best troops and equipment were on the border with India and not Afghanistan.  He also criticised the Obama Administration's policy on reconciliation with the Taliban. He added that the US should have a strategic partnership with Afghanistan, saying it would "demonstrate to Pakistan that continued support for Taliban will leave them more isolated and less secure."

In response to a question on Kashmir, Senator McCain said that it was not an excuse for Pakistan to not break ties with the Haqqani Network. Senator McCain said that Kashmir, which he dubbed one of the most beautiful places on the earth, remained a longstanding problem.

Senator McCain called the incident of US soldiers photographed with body parts of Afghans published in the Los Angeles Times as "deplorable and despicable". He said it tarnished the work that the US soldiers are doing out here, and said that 99.9% of young Americans serving in Afghanistan have the highest standards.]]>
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			<title>Clinton to continue to press Pakistan on Haqqani network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365928/clinton-to-continue-to-press-pakistan-on-haqqani-network</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365928/clinton-to-continue-to-press-pakistan-on-haqqani-network#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 12 04:21:39 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=365928</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Recalling pressing Pakistan to squeeze Haqqani network, Clinton says will continue to make that point, press it hard.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that she will continue to urge Pakistan to squeeze the Haqqani network, as signs emerged it might be behind weekend attacks in Afghanistan.

Recalling that she pressed Pakistan to “squeeze” the Haqqani network when she visited Islamabad last October, Clinton told reporters in Brasilia that she will “continue to make that point, press it hard.”

She added that “there are already indications of Haqqani involvement” in the weekend attacks on Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan, adding that the “Haqqani network is a very determined foe.”

Clinton recalled that she had told Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in a telephone call from Brazil on Monday that she “expressed my strong conviction that there has to be concerted effort” in fighting extremism.

She said such effort must involves the Nato-led force in Afghanistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.]]>
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			<title>US lawmakers warn aid to Pakistan might be redirected to Mexico: Report</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/344454/us-lawmakers-warn-aid-to-pakistan-might-be-redirected-to-mexico-report</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/344454/us-lawmakers-warn-aid-to-pakistan-might-be-redirected-to-mexico-report#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 12 11:03:36 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=344454</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[US lawmakers fear that the multi-million dollar aid could be exploited by Haqqani network.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[In the fear that multi-million dollar aid given to Pakistan by the United States could be exploited by the Haqqani network, US lawmakers have moved a legislation in the Congress to divert the aid to the Mexican border.

Times of India reported on Friday that Congressman Michael McCaul introduced the legislation, co-sponsored by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, among others.

The legislation would require the secretary of state to certify to the Congress that Pakistan is not funding or advising the Haqqani network.

The legislation says that otherwise the aid to Pakistan will be slashed and redirected toward combating Mexican drug lobby’s violence on the border that the US shares with Mexico.

McCaul said that this year the US Department of State is demanding $2.4 billion for civilian and security aid to Pakistan, “some of which could end up in the hands of the Haqqani network.”

He said, “When I met with President [Asif Ali] Zardari he expressed a commitment to eradicating the Haqqani terrorist network, but I am not convinced that he has enough control over his military and intelligence to follow through.”

A list of conditions had accompanied funds allocated for Pakistan, as the White House, Department of Defence and the State Department had revealed their budgets for the fiscal year 2013.

According to the conditions, the secretary of state must certify that Pakistan is cooperating with the US in counterterrorism efforts against the Quetta Shura, Haqqani Network, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, al Qaeda and other domestic and foreign terrorist organisations.

The White House had allocated $800 million for Pakistan’s Counterinsurgency Capability Fund (PCCF) in its budget, whereas the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated $2.4 billion for Pakistan.

The budget had showed a decrease of $50 million in comparison with last year’s allocations for PCCF.]]>
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			<title>Tribune’s Gamechangers 2011: Sirajuddin Haqqani</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/317608/tribune%e2%80%99s-gamechangers-2011-sirajuddin-haqqani</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/317608/tribune%e2%80%99s-gamechangers-2011-sirajuddin-haqqani#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 12 13:00:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=317608</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The latest US bogeyman.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Move over Husain, and let the original Haqqani stand up.

The son of legendary Afghan mujahid Jalalauddin Haqqani, Sirajuddin is now considered the operational head of the Haqqani network, which is blamed by the US for just about every major setback they face in Afghanistan. Said to be based in North Waziristan, the Haqqani network has been a serious bone of contention between Pakistan and the US.

The US has repeatedly accused Pakistan’s establishment of supporting the Haqqanis, a charge hotly denied by Pakistan. The US has also pushed for a military operation in North Waziristan, something that Pakistan has thus far resisted.  The Haqqani network is also considered to be the most sophisticated and resilient of Afghanistan’s insurgent groups.

QUOTE: "Gone are the days when we were hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border." - Sirajuddin ]]>
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