Pakistan

Pakistan rejects US report on war against terrorism

Report noted a deterioration across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border between January and March this year.

Afp April 07, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday rejected a highly critical US report of its efforts to defeat militants, saying it would not be held accountable for US-led failures in Afghanistan.

"I would like to categorically state that we do not share the assessment of the US," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua told reporters at a weekly briefing in response to a question on the White House document.

"The references to Pakistan are unwarranted," she said.

"Pakistan should not be held accountable for the failings of coalition strategy in Afghanistan. Pakistan has a clear strategy in dealing with this and other issues and solely be guided by its own national interest," she added.

Tuesday's report noted a deterioration of the situation in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt along the Afghan border between January and March this year, and said Pakistan still had no clear path to triumph over insurgents.

But it also noted the "tremendous human sacrifices" made by Pakistani forces and positive military cooperation between Pakistan and Washington in the last three months, despite tensions over a CIA contractor accused of murder.

Pakistan argues that its troops are already dangerously overstretched. With an estimated 147,000 forces in the northwest, more than the number of US led foreign troops in Afghanistan, the army has also endured heavy losses.

Aside from military operations, more than 4,200 people have been killed across Pakistan in attacks blamed on Taliban and other extremist networks since government troops stormed a radical mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

COMMENTS (21)

faraz | 13 years ago | Reply @Clean Pakistan And you make me cry. Afghanistan is not US territory, but FATA is part of Pakistan. If state cant maintain writ over its own area, then collapse is inevitable. We cant even control the jihadi groups that we created and nurtured over 3 decades!

Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall | 13 years ago | Reply My vote is for Obama to tell the truth about the real (strategic) reasons for expanding the US war into Pakistan. The Pentagon/CIA make no secret of their desire to see energy and mineral rich Balochistan secede from Pakistan to become a US client state - just like the energy and mineral rich former Soviet republics Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Moreover it's virtually impossible to distinguish terrorist acts by the CIA-backed Balochistan Liberation Army (since 2002) from those committed by the Taliban or Al Qaeda -especially around the Chinese-built Gwadar Port in Gwadar, Balochistan (the energy transit route for Iranian oil and natural gas destined for China). Given that both China and Iran are both major political/economic rivals, it's a pity the US media doesn't report on any of this. I blog about this at "Our CIA freedom fighters in Pakistan" http://stuartbramhall.aegauthorblogs.com/2011/03/07/our-cia-freedom-fighters-in-pakistan/

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Avinash | 13 years ago | Reply The road to world peace lies in India-Pakistan kicking the white US butt out of the continent.

Clean Pakistan | 13 years ago | Reply @faraz: you make me laugh faraz... the US has been in Afghanistan for 10 years now and they have failed miserably despite all it's might and resources... the US can't even seal her own border with Mexico since ages... the over 120,000 strong US military could only secure parts of Kabul and Bagram airbase.... and you call the military action in Pak slow! The US is responsible for hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and others... Prolonged conflicts are good business for the over $400 billion arms industry (the related services industry is even bigger), of which US is the biggest player... it's good for the US economy and keeping people employed... at the cost of human tragedy in other parts of the world....

ZARDARI | 13 years ago | Reply We are a client state of United States. Whatever we say, everything USA says will be implemented here. and thats for sure as far as we are getting hefty aids from our so beloved ally.

Yasar | 13 years ago | Reply @faraz: Counter insurgency is about clearing and holding areas, Even the Americans follow that strategy. The Pakistan Army could have lied and said 2000 were killed would that make you feel better. The goal was to drive them from their home territory, which succeeded. The ammunation and training facilities captured weakened them. No one is saying Taliban is gonna march into Islamabad soon. Even Peshwar is safer. What large scale failure has there been Faraz?

Arindom | 13 years ago | Reply @John exactly! "solely be guided by its own national interest,” this is admitting Pakistani Establishment's duplicity in dealing with terrorists. The whole world knows this. What exactly is "national interest" ? To the whole world it is clear that it means - encouraging terrorists and arming them....they are 'strategic assets' after all!!!

Clean Pakistan | 13 years ago | Reply @ John... Pakistan's national interest is to have US get out of Afghanistan... the suicide idiots will go away with the US departure... The US has a lot of blood on her hands in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc... Since the last drone attack in which a peaceful jirga was hit, the suicide bombings have increased significantly, so has US admn/media attacks on Pakistan... why am i not surprised?

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply The whole world is waiting for Pakistan to confront terrorism - you have one of the largest armies in the World and most of them seem to be bystanders watching on the sidelines. Your religious extremism combined with xenophobia has fueled this terrorism - it also apparently prevents you from allowing your infidel allies from tackling the problem directly (hence the drones). If you won't take on terrorism - at least step aside and let others do so.

faraz | 13 years ago | Reply @Agnostic Muslim Well it was common sense that TTP would move into other areas; experienced fighters of TTP would never have engaged a conventional army in a pitched battle. What was the purpose of operation then? The army's advance was extremely slow. It took months to develop lines of communications and invest the area. The army moved along ridge lines to lessen its casualties. Its strategy failed as TTP managed to escape into North Waziristan and took refuge under the supposedly pro pakistan taliban. Haqqani allowed TTP to settle in North Waziristan. The army failed to encircle TTP or block escape routes by deploying troops from helicopeters. The army was surely short of helicopters, but you cant escape the fact that this operation failed, unlike Swat where the army clearly succeded.

John | 13 years ago | Reply @DIG: @ABDV: And all who say US is wrong: Please read the Editorial "Militant Illusions" also.

DIG | 13 years ago | Reply Well said!!! They would never accept our efforts as well done no matter to whatever extent we go

Chilli | 13 years ago | Reply Nothing wrong as long as dollars are coming..All players are fooling public. Behind the screen marriage is surviving.

Agnostic Muslim | 13 years ago | Reply @faraz: "30,000 troops went into South Waziristan but killed only 500 men of TTP. Isnt this a failure?" No it is not, unless you think the TTP just sat down and waited to be killed. As the TTP spokesperson himself indicated, the TTP was not going to fight a face to face war with the Army, and was instead going to retreat to other agencies/areas and launch small scale guerrilla attacks against Pakistani targets. And that is precisely what they have been doing. If the TTP does not stay and fight face to face, who is the Army supposed to kill? Perhaps understanding the situation better before passing judgement and comments that appear so inane would be in order.

ali | 13 years ago | Reply aray bhai the us has messed things up in the whole world but they are 110 % right in saying the pakistan security establishment is messing things up in pakistan

Musthaq Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply US is going to tactically quit Afghanistan and the best of Taliban old guard is carefully preserved to take charge and prolong the need for future interventions. Pakistani government is roasting its proverbial rotis and is guilty of little else than serving as the bridge between Islamists and US. Both the powers do not care to see the political danger posed by fundamentalism since they do not run a political state in the country but a state standing for a narrow minority of wealthy people. Taliban in contrast promises politics to the poor man by the way of religion and thereby it is not political either. With no politics of common weal Pakistanis are the unfree people of the continent steadily pushed towards middle ages.

TightDhoti | 13 years ago | Reply And in outrage we willl...................????

faraz | 13 years ago | Reply 30,000 troops went into South Waziristan but killed only 500 men of TTP. Isnt this a failure?

John | 13 years ago | Reply ".......Pakistan has a clear strategy of dealing with this..." Care to share with NATO or act on the strategy since now defense budget is increased to 18%. PAK people are also asking the same question when will the suicide bomb idiots go away. Perhaps the press brief should say, " We understand the concern of US/ NATO. Despite our troop losses and extensive troop deployment, the Taliban idiots are spread all across the country and we need more resources for coordinated action. PAK will discuss its strategy in details with NATO... Blah blah blah " Instead by saying that ......"solely be guided by its own national interest" she essentially confirms the US report that PAK is not doing it's part. The bravado makes it duplicity game. What is PAK national interest? Every one would like to know.

bunny | 13 years ago | Reply Another joke....

ABDV | 13 years ago | Reply Finally the govt has the courage to say this much at least...I thought they had already became too shameless

Replying to X