‘US questions why ISI does certain things’

Mike Mullen said that the US sometimes seeks “certain clarifications” from the ISI on why certain things are done.


Afp July 23, 2010

NEW DEHLI: US military’s top-ranking officer Admiral Mike Mullen has said that the US sometimes seeks “certain clarifications” from the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) “on why certain things are done”.

Speaking to reporters on board his New Delhi-bound plane, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen said that the Obama administration, however, needs “to stay engaged” with the ISI and recognises that it plays a crucial role in providing for Pakistan’s security. “We differ on the specifics on how that should be done,” said Mullen.

Asked about the ISI’s alleged links to some Islamist extremists, including those fighting Nato-led troops in Afghanistan, Mullen acknowledged disagreements with the ISI.

He said that he feared extremists might launch another attack on India, similar to the 2008 rampage in Mumbai, in a bid to spark a war with arch-rival Pakistan.

“I’ve worried a great deal about a repeat attack, of something like that,” Mullen said. The admiral said he wanted “to focus on making sure this doesn’t happen again”.

India had claimed that the assault was carried out by Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba and abetted by “official agencies” in Pakistan.

Mullen said that the attack showed how a small group of extremists could have a “strategic impact” and push two nuclear-armed powers towards a potential conflict. “One of the things that struck me then and is still of great concern is that those terrorists could bring two countries closer (to possible conflict),” he said. “It didn’t bring them to the brink (of war) but it brought them closer,” he said.

In the immediate aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, Mullen said that he had conveyed his “grave concern” to Pakistan, including the leadership of the powerful ISI.

Mullen is due to head to Pakistan after his two-day stop in India. Indian officials are expected to raise during Mullen’s visit the threat posed by Pakistani-linked extremist groups. Meanwhile, US special envoy Richard Holbrooke has said that Indian concerns over closer US-Pakistan ties are misplaced. “Improved American relations with Pakistan are not bad for India,” said Holbrooke, who was in Islamabad last week with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“We firmly believe that improved US relations with Pakistan and with India are in the interests of both countries,” he added. Holbrooke, who is the US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, said he was aware of the “worry” in India about a strategic US partnership with Islamabad.

Holbrooke also rejected the perception that India was being sidelined by an increasingly prominent Pakistani role in the Afghan government’s plans for reconciliation and reintegration of the Taliban and other groups. “India is not being diminished. It’s not a zero-sum game,” he argued. “India also has a major role to play in stability in the region and in search for solutions in Afghanistan.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2010.

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