US leaders assured of operation against TTP, Haqqani Group

WASHINGTON: Before initiating the recent North Waziristan offensive, the top Pakistani leadership took the US in confidence, saying that Pakistan was ready to take action against all the militant groups, which included the notorious Haqqani Network. The US has been watchful of the ongoing operation but remains sceptical of the reported results given the history of distrust between the countries.

Over the last few weeks, senior officials of the two countries addressed the issue in different meetings, where the political as well as military leadership of Pakistan assured the US officials about their decisive action against the militants.

The assurance came not just from one quarter but from almost all the stakeholders tasked with security of the country.Ambassador James Dobbins, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told the US Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday: “We have been assured by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, army chief Raheel Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and the head of the ISI Gen Zaheer.”

Dobbins went on to say that according to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood, “They [Pakistan] are going to treat all militant groups similarly and that they are going to force all foreign militants out of North Waziristan and Pakistan.”General Mahmood is visiting Washington this week, and has had numerous meeting with state and defence department officials.

Answering a question raised by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez about the willingness of Pakistan to confront the Haqqani Network during the operation, Ambassador Dobbins said that there were concerns that were justified but “we will be examining this carefully, we have gotten the right assurances but there is a historical pattern of activity which indicates that there are habits here that are going to be difficult to break.”

Referring to the military action against the militants, he said: “We have made our position clear that it’s a right thing.”For years, the United States has been pushing Pakistan to root out the Haqqani Network, who allegedly were given sanctuary in the country’s tribal areas. The State Department in its latest country report on terrorism highlighted the issues once again: “Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network leadership and facilitation network continued to find safe haven in Pakistan, and Pakistani authorities did not take significant military or law enforcement action against these groups.”

Lately, the US has also linked military aid, including the Coalition Support Fund payments to Pakistan, directly to an operation in North Waziristan. According to the terms of the National Defence Authorisation Act for the upcoming year, senior US officials had to issue a waiver certifying that “Pakistan has undertaken military operations in North Waziristan that have significantly disrupted the safe haven and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network.”

Testifying before the committee members on US policy in Afghanistan, Ambassador Dobbins said: “It’s notable that among the targets that Pakistan is going after vigourously are the Uzbek groups.”

He also said that the civilian and military point of view was to give the TTP a chance to disarm and respect the Constitution. The US, he said, had no objection to it. The move was to appeal some of the elements of the insurgency off, Dobbins said adding, “They needed to go into the massive operation of this sort — which was going to produce a lot of refugees, a lot of cost, a lot of damage to innocent people as well as to the guilty, on the basis of a strong national consensus.”

Dobbins said that Pakistan now had a strong national consensus. He maintained that civilian and military leadership in Pakistan had had their differences but the said operation suggested that both parties were on the same page now.

“Historically, there has been a strong distinction between civilian and military leadership, and while this has not gone entirely away, the two are a lot closer and civilian authority over the military is gradually being demonstrated,” Dobbins said, adding that “the prime minister has authorised and directed this particular action, while I think military might have had a different view throughout this period they saluted and done what they have been told.”

ANP leaders slam Imran Khan

LONDON: Awami National Party (ANP) leaders have strongly criticized Imran Khan over rigging allegations and unnecessary protests, Geo News reported.

The ANP leaders said Khan was playing politics of allegations in order to divert attention from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

ANP leader and former provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar said the allegations by ‘Captain’ (Khan) were a bundle of confrontation. He claimed that PTI leader had given free hand to Taliban in KP, where the militants were regaining various areas.

Afrasiyab Khattak said any of the channels could not carry out rigging in elections, adding Khan was following an agenda of someone else.

He warned that no-one including Imran Khan would gain anything if democratic system was harmed.

PTI, PAT, PML-Q leaders may form alliance

 

LONDON: Leaders of three parties have gathered in London giving rise to speculation that the stage is being prepared for an anti-government alliance between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Muslim League leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain arrived in London on Wednesday afternoon almost at the same time.

The PML-Q as a political unit has no presence in Britain because all the units defected to the PML-N but an aide of Chaudhry Shujaat said that Chaudhry was in contact with Imran Khan’s party and during his stay in London would like to meet Altaf Hussain as well.

He said a meeting with Dr Qadri and Imran Khan was on the cards but didn’t say when and where. He said the PML-Q will join any party that supports mid-term elections and ouster of the current government.

Speaking to ‘The News’ late on Thursday evening, PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat confirmed that he will be meeting Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri along with his party delegation.

He said: “We have deep relations with each other and we will be meeting Dr Qadri. Our agenda is one point: betterment of Pakistan and empowerment of democracy. We agree with each other that the current government has failed and new alliances need to be made. We will release more details tomorrow after the meeting.”

On Thursday afternoon, PAT leader Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri also reached London unannounced. It’s the timing of Dr Qadri’s arrival that is of importance because the PAT sources had earlier said that he would be arriving here in the second week of June.

His party spokesman said that Dr Qadri had arrived in London for “medical check-up” although Dr Qadri himself has said that he prefers to live in Toronto, Canada, for medical reasons. A senior leader of PAT confirmed in a twitter message that PTI, PAT and PML-Q chiefs will “finalise anti-govt strategies in London” but later on retracted it.

When contacted by the News, a PAT source said that a meeting was likely and the three parties were in contact but “nothing is finalised yet”.

Dr Qadri was scheduled to reach London in June from Toronto and then fly out from here to Pakistan for what’s now called the “Shahadat Proof Bunker Dherna” but his sudden arrival in London means that he was asked to arrive for talks while the like-minded leaders were also around.

The PAT source said that all the three parties agreed on the need to launch a movement against the PML-N government. “The mandate of this government is fake and it needs to be ousted. We are contacting all the parties in this regard.”

A PTI source said that Imran Khan was in London to spend time with his two sons and “also to attend a fundraiser for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital on Saturday”. He didn’t deny that a meeting might take place between the three parties.

Some sources have said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will also be taken into confidence and Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri will lead the efforts to bring the MQM on board.

“Dr Qadri is very close to the MQM and Altaf Hussain is his key supporter and has supported Dr Qadri whenever his campaign related to Punjab where both have a common enemy in the shape of the PML-N. Imran Khan and Shujaat also have the same agenda against the PML-N. Their alliance is natural. They have been once key allies of Pervez Musharraf and all of them benefitted from Musharraf in one way or the other. Pervez Musharraf needs them more than ever. This government needs to be brought under pressure to provide an exit route to Musharraf and that will happen when there is a grand opposition alliance in place as a cover,” said a source familiar with the London developments.

The MQM will have no issue giving its support to an opposition alliance as far as it concerns agitation in Punjab and in any case a movement against the PML-N government only benefits the MQM.Reports said that Chaudary Pervaiz Elahi has also been called to London.

Geo/Jang Group gains sympathy among Baloch leaders, people

QUETTA: Sympathy for the Geo/Jang Group has increased in Balochistan in the wake of the campaign launched against it throughout the country.

Despite all efforts of powerful elements, journalists here are united and demonstrations are also being held for the freedom of the press. The BNP of former Chief Minister Balochistan Akhtar Mengal held demonstrations across the province in favour of Hamid Mir while opposition leader of the JI Maulana Abdul Wassay moved a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly against the attack on Hamid Mir which was unanimously approved by both the ruling and opposition parties. Besides this, leaders of various parties and organisations expressed solidarity with the Geo/Jang Group.

Different columns and editorials were written in favour of Hamid Mir, Jang and Geo in the local newspapers of Balochistan.

In the past, politicians and people belonging to other areas were suspicious of the views of journalists, especially those of the Punjab, but now their attitude is changing. Discussions are held at different levels and it is being said that earlier many Baloch politicians, especially nationalists, were called traitors but it is astonishing to see that today a patriotic journalist Hamid Mir is being declared a traitor. Due to this, anti-federal forces in Balochistan are becoming more powerful.

It is also the subject of discussion that a campaign is being carried out against Jang and Geo for their courageous and bold stand on different issues such as missing persons, the discovery of mutilated bodies and the law and order situation. On the other hand, a campaign is being launched through ‘Tanga’ parties and nameless persons. This campaign does not have any impact on the people.

Civilian leaders have the last word in decision-making

 

KARACHI: Civilian leaders have the last word in decision-making, said Kamran Khan in his programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Friday.
He said observers say framing of charges by the court against former president Pervez Musharraf and the government’s decision to decline his request for travel abroad point towards the fact that Pakistan’s civilian leadership is playing the central role in the decision-making process.

The military leadership had advised the government regarding Gen (retd) Musharraf’s travel abroad saying since charges have been framed against Musharraf and the trial is to proceed so Musharraf should be allowed to go abroad to visit his ailing mother. But the civilian leadership, especially Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his political associates thought that in view of the political situation obtaining in the country and in view of the supremacy of the law and the constitution in the country, the request should be declined and Musharraf should not be allowed to go abroad for the time being. At least permission to Musharraf to go abroad should not come from the political government, and if such a decision comes from the court then things should proceed in the light of that decision.

The observers opine that during all the civilian governments since the creation of Pakistan, the balance regarding decision-making between the civil and military leadership has generally tilted toward the military, but now an improvement is being noted and the situation has changed altogether.

Perhaps it is for the first time in recent history that the political leadership has rejected an important advice from the military leadership, and this very decision indicates that perhaps now the civilian leadership has embarked on taking all the major decisions. The civilian leadership will for sure consult the military in this regard, but it is not clear if it will accept the advice given by the military.

Before the formation of the Pakistan Muslim League-N government, the party leaders had always emphasized that the country should have a strong democratic government which should have the authority to take all the decisions whether those decisions related to the foreign policy or the security affairs or any other matter.

In the last five years, though there was a civilian democratic government, the observers say, yet the central decision-making was with the military. Even decisions of domestic nature were taken after consultation with the military, whether the decision related to the appointment of a head of a national institution, the foreign minister and other purely civilian matters, the military leadership was always consulted, and it was generally observed that the military leadership even enjoyed the veto power in most of the matters.

It was believed in those days that the situation will change with the change of government because Nawaz Sharif and all his political contemporaries always spoke against the practice, and Nawaz Sharif always said that a democratic government should have total authority to take all the decisions.

Journalist body elects women leaders

The Indian Journalists' Association in London has elected a woman president and general secretary for the first time in its 67-year history.

Aditi Khanna, London correspondent for Press Trust of India becomes IJA president, and Rupanjana Dutta, Associate Editor of Asian Business Publications Ltd, its general secretary.

The IJA was set up in May 1947, with the active encouragement from V.K. Krishna Menon, who subsequently became the first High Commissioner of independent India in Britain. He allowed the IJA, whose members included K.S. Shelvankar (then correspondent for The Hindu), Tarapada Basu, and Sundar Kabadi, to use the India League office, located conveniently near Fleet Street and the Indian High Commission. He also located the India Club, which he founded, in the same premises.

Obama calls world leaders about Ukraine crisis

FLORIDA: President Barack Obama made a series of phone calls on Saturday to world leaders about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi the White House said.
He also held a conference call about the situation with the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. No further details about the discussions were immediately available.

Medvedev warns Ukraine new leaders

MOSCOW: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Facebook on Sunday that Ukraine's leaders had seized power illegally, and predicted their rule would end with "a new revolution" and new bloodshed.

Medvedev said that, while Viktor Yanukovich had practically no authority, he remained the legitimate head of state according the constitution, adding: "If he is guilty before Ukraine hold an impeachment procedure and try him."

"Everything else is lawlessness. The seizure of power," Medvedev said on his Facebook page. "And that means such order will be extremely unstable. It will end in a new revolution. New bloodshed."

The remarks were part of a series of Russian statements attacking the legitimacy of the pro-Western government that has been formed since Yanukovich fled Kiev more than a week ago.

He surfaced on Friday in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin obtained consent from the Kremlin-controlled parliament on Saturday to send the Russian military into Ukraine if he wishes, citing the need to protect Russian citizens and Russian-speakers in the neighbouring state.

"Russia is ready to develop multi-faceted, respectful relations with brotherly Ukraine mutually beneficial and effective relations," Medvedev said.

"But Ukraine for us is not a group of people who, pouring blood on the Maidan (Kiev's main square), seized power in violation of the constitution and other state laws."

"Russia needs a strong and stable Ukraine. A predictable and economically thriving partner," Medvedev said. "Not a poor relation that's always standing with a hand held out."

Russia promised heavily indebted Ukraine a $15 billion bailout after Yanukovich turned his back on deals with the European Union and instead said he would pursue closer trade ties with Russia, but suspended delivery as his grip loosened.

Hagel warns Pakistan leaders over border protests

In this handout photograph released by Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on December 9, 2013 Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif (R) meets with US defence secretary Chuck Hagel at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

ISLAMABAD: Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel warned Pakistani leaders on Monday that if they don't resolve protests stalling some military shipments across the border with Afghanistan, it could be difficult to maintain political support in Washington for an aid program that has sent billions of dollars to Islamabad, defense officials said.

In response, the officials said, Hagel received assurances from the Pakistanis that they would take ''immediate action'' to resolve the shipment problem. The officials did not provide details on how that might be done.
Hagel departed from Pakistan after a brief visit during which he held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the country's new army chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday.
In the first visit by a US defence secretary in nearly four years, Hagel flew from Kabul to Islamabad as Washington seeks to defuse tensions over controversial US drone strikes and Islamabad's role in Afghanistan.
Ties between Washington and Islamabad have been seriously strained over US drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal belt as well as Afghan Taliban sanctuaries inside Pakistan's borders.
After greeting Prime Minister Sharif at the start of their talks, Hagel said Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan had a “lot of common and mutual interests” and that he looked forward to discussing regional issues.
The meeting between the US Defence Secretary and Pakistani prime minister was also attended by Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins.
Hagel was in Pakistan “in recognition of the tremendous support that Pakistan has provided in the war on terror”, a senior US defence official told reporters.
The defence secretary wanted “to deepen our defence partnership” and to affirm continued US military assistance, the official said.
“There is some friction in the relationship” and Hagel wished to tackle that “head on”, he added.
The visit came as Hagel's deputies withdrew Sunday's statement that said Nato shipments out of Afghanistan through Pakistan were to resume due to the end of anti-drone protests.
Moreover, Hagel also met with Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Issues concerning defence relationship, Pak-US bilateral ties and regional stability came under discussion.
US Secretary of Defence was accompanied by US Ambassador in Pakistan Richard Olson and US Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence Dr Peter Lavoy.
In recent weeks, activists opposed to the drone raids forcibly searched trucks in northwest Pakistan in a campaign to disrupt Nato supply routes through the Torkham gate border crossing.
The club-wielding protesters have prompted US officials to halt the shipments to protect the safety of truck drivers ferrying Nato equipment.
Contractors were still concerned over anti-drone protests and the suspension had not been lifted, officials travelling with Hagel said.
Torkham gate is the main overland route used by the Americans and Nato to withdraw military hardware from Afghanistan as part of the troop pullout set to wrap up by the end of 2014.
President Barack Obama has defended the drone strikes as an effective, lawful tool used with restraint to target suspected al Qaeda militants.
But human rights groups and Pakistani politicians say the missile attacks have killed innocent civilians and must stop.
The Pakistani government had previously blocked the routes for seven months following US airstrikes that accidentally killed two dozen soldiers on the Afghan border in November 2011.
Pakistan finally reopened the routes after the US apologised.
The rift led the US to sever most aid to Pakistan for some time, but relations were restored in July 2012.
Since then, the US has delivered over $1.15 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, including advanced communications equipment, roadside bomb jammers, night vision goggles and surveillance aircraft.
US officials are also anxious to forge a constructive dialogue with the new army chief General Raheel Sharif, who is expected to be at the centre of decision making on sensitive security questions.
“Issues concerning defence relationship, Pak-US bilateral ties and regional stability came under discussion,” the Pakistan military said after Hagel met the army chief, who last month succeeded General Ashfaq Kayani.
Pakistan is seen as crucial to peace in neighbouring Afghanistan as it was a key backer of the hardline 1996-2001 Taliban regime in Kabul and is believed to shelter some of the movement's leaders.
Pakistan is also battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency but US officials have long accused Islamabad's spy service of maintaining ties to the Afghan Taliban, as a hedge to counter any potential threat from India in Afghanistan.
Hagel visited Pakistan after two days in Afghanistan, where he urged the country's president, Hamid Karzai, to sign a long-delayed security agreement that will allow Nato-led forces to stay in the country after 2014.
Hagel began his trip last week in Bahrain, seeking to reassure Gulf allies that the United States would retain a robust military presence in the region despite an interim nuclear deal with Iran.
After morning meetings in Pakistan, Hagel was due to travel to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where he was expected to renew his message of solidarity with the Gulf Arab states.
The Saudis in particular are wary of the diplomatic opening with Tehran as they view Shia-led Iran as a regional rival.
The last Pentagon chief to visit Pakistan was Robert Gates in January 2010.