ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan-based Haqqani militant network was behind last week’s Kabul siege and there is evidence linking the group to the Pakistan government, the US ambassador to Pakistan has said.
In blunt comments broadcast by Radio Pakistan on Saturday, Ambassador Cameron Munter said: “Let me tell you that the attack that took place in Kabul a few days ago that was the work of the Haqqani network.
“There is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government. This is something that must stop,” Munter said.
Asked to provide evidence of the link with the Pakistani government, Munter said only “we believe that to be the case”.
Acknowledging that the past year had been “tough”, he urged joint action against terrorism and said the United States and Pakistan were “fundamentally on the same side”.
Munter’s remarks follow a warning by US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who said after the Kabul attack that the US would retaliate against Pakistan-based insurgents.
“Time and again we’ve urged the Pakistanis to exercise their influence over these kinds of attacks from the Haqqanis and we’ve made very little progress in that area,” Panetta said Wednesday, a day after the Kabul siege.
“I’m not going to talk about how we’re going to respond. I’ll just let you know that we’re not going to allow these kinds of attacks to go on,” he said.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry condemned those remarks as “out of line”, saying that “terrorism and militancy is a complex issue”.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2011.
COMMENTS (46)
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Did the attackers used American helicopters to enter into the walled and heavily guarded compound undetected? If that b the case only and only uncle saam is responsible who made the choppers available.
@Mohammad naeem: aged ,old wine is more expensive than a new bottle
What a joke. So the Haqqani network is the only anti-American group out there? Whatever happened to the Afghan Taliban, who have swore to not stop their attacks until NATO and America leave Afghanistan? Did they just disappear into la la land?
@has: These 200 trainers were elite highly trained snatch and grab forces deployed to secure Pakistani 150 nuclear war heads.
I am trying to visualize in my head, american agents running away with atom bums, carrying them on their head, two persons for one bomb. I wish I was a cartoonist :)
When someone accuses me of bad behaviour, my first reaction will be that of indignation coupled with total rejection of charge. I will give reasons why this charge cannot be true and why it is absurd.
If I straight away say, 'give me proof, show evidence first', then it definitely means i have been indulging in bad behavior surreptitiously, without leaving trail. Anyone who offers this kind of defense is more or less likely to be guilty!
This is serious breach of diplomatic protocol and he should be sent home immediately.Stop blaming us for your failures. Nobody invited you to go there. Why dont you yankees cut us some slack and get the hell out of Afghanistan.
@FN: Is he not the one eyed Jack who ordered the destruction of the Bamiya Buddhas? please hand him over to India. I would like to ask him a few questions!
@narayana murthy:
Be ready!!!!
After choosing to fight the most illetrate nation can now someone tell my American freinds " SHER BUN SHER "
This is the start / beginning for an approval from UNO to attack PAKISTAN!!!
go and wipe out Taliban sanctuaries in Afghanistan first from where they have attacked Chitral, Dir, Bajur and Sawat. The fact of the matter is that taliban are more secure in Afghanistan then in Pakistan, as Haqqani said himself . Americans are just being sore losers and pinning their failure on a bad pitch rather then their bad cricket
Why we are foolish so much, closing our eyes from the call what the world is saying. Why we are not giving priority to our economy rather we are thinking about future setup in Afghanistan. If Talban comes into power in Afghanistan (God forbid), they will repeat what they did before and destroyed their country.We should care about our country and heed to advice what the world community is shouting.
Oh Sir I am sure you have evidence... problem is you are not acting in the right way to arrest this growing obscurantism in Pakistan. Recommendation... Stop all aid and loans for 6 months and you will have the whole nation realizing extremism will not get us anywhere.
Every top Al Qaida leader including Khalid Sheik and OBL have been found in Pakistani safe houses. The other top leaders which are killed and arrested are all from Pakistan and not Afghanistan. What more evidence does one need to see the obvious? Most Pakistanis do not understand the resolve of the US. If Pakistani army would not do it then somebody else would do it. These terrorists would be eliminated one way or the other, just like OBL. Pakistanis should not continue to shovel against the tide.
@ Roflcopter : They also tried to pin the 6 year presence of OBL onto pakistan!
One important point people are missing...
If the ambassador is openly saying that Pakistani government is involved with Haqqani network...
IMAGINE...
What must be going on behind the scenes...some one must be whispering "bombing to the stone age..." rhetoric into Kiyani's ears.
@Sad but true: The only comment here reflecting the reality is yours. Whether right or wrong, whether Sirajuddin Haqqani or the US is truthful, the only guarantee is that US is inching closer.
Mullah Omar finally captured? http://mintopark.com/2011/09/10/mullahomar_captured/
LOL how lame Americans are... they try to find a scapegoat, and ironically, when Haqqani himself says that his 'network' is no more in Pakistan, the US of A 'found evidences'. How credible.
Obviously expect ET's own Indian trolls to do bhangra.
How to react like a Pakistani faced with unflattering news in 3 easy steps.
LOUDLY ASK FOR EVIDENCE Say evidence is faked When evidence is proven or someone confesses, sullenly ignore itWhether its spot fixing or terrorist attacks, employ this simple tactic and imitate a Pakistani today!
More drones. Get rid of the Haqqanis. Every single one.
@Roflcopter:
Only some of their "friends" in the intelligentsia are in prostration to them.
@Tanweer:
Hats off!
Pakistan should have contacts with all legitimate Afghan parties, including the Taliban, as we know Karzai is NOT a representative of Afghanistan. And the US should know, that without Pakistan, any dialogue is doomed to fail, so it stop pleasing india.
These US clowns r too much...
Btw we can see huge change in us attitude. U dont need pak anymore and u r repeating the past.. whatever u had done to this country after afghan war.
Mr munter.. Now will we have to befooled by This old wine in new bottle.
@Tanweer:
...and of Osama bin Laden.
Mr. Sirajuddin Haqqani is Archbishop of Talibans so do you want us to taken action against top religious leader. He has a dove in one hand and an olive leaf in the other. Sorry Mr. Munter we can not take any action against our strategic religious holy man of peace.
Cameron Munter will also do a favour by naming the same group for killing Indians in Afganstan.
The screws are tightening. Seconds away before the boots .............
where is the evidence?....what is the evidence?
Pakistan should stop providing sanctuary to a militant force! During an era of heightened rhetoric against militancy/terrorism, the Pakistan state should avoid going down in history as a force that put forth half hearted initiatives to fight what a majority of the developed world regarded as a scourge and "force of evil"
If Pakistan's military desires to have bargaining chips on the table, it should bargain on the promise of peace and not further militancy/warlordism/further destitution for an already destitute afghanistan. We are supporting a militant force whose only agenda is to drive out an "evil occupier" (which NATO may well be). And I feel we Pakistanis must ask ourselves what haqqani's wider manifesto is, if any?
Kasam say, given hum Pakistanion ko "Allah kay azaab" say bohat khauff ata hai... I feel pakistan's primarily at its feet right now because, apart from nato's failures in afghanistan, pakistan's leadership refuses to keep the best interest of its neighbour at heart. Pakistan was selfish for years while taliban was at afghanistan's helm - and here we are 15 odd years later fighting the same scourge - that is the true azaab that our mullahs will not speak of.
Wishing the best for Afghanistan and Pakistan, always.
Munter doesn't know the facts, Haqqani enjoys shelter amongst his Afghan peoples.
Then its professional failure of American Forces & consequently the government that people were able to enter , siege and attack targets in Kabul,Afghanistan all the way over from North Waziristan , Pakistan.
Looks like Sirajuddin Haqqani interview did not work in fooling the US govt....or anyone else.
OUR evidence? or real evidence?
It took 30 years for us to realize that ..
Indian were giving evidence since 1980s and US was pouring $$$s in billions ..
Mr Munter, maybe the last installment of your payment got delayed and this was a reminder to you that please speed up payments and increase them or else strategic assets will be doing strategic things , under the command of your so called strategic allies, to make this the most strategic nation on earth. You have only yourself to blame.