“With friends like you, who needs enemies?” is an adage that both the Pakistanis and the Americans seem to be hurling at each other. The outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, has recently stated that the Haqqani group is the “veritable arm” of the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service. Even though that was a known U.S. position, officials of the Obama administration were careful not to state it publicly. Now the gloves are off. Pakistan shot back. General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Pakistan’s Army Chief, as well as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, strongly denied the charge. In the meantime, deteriorating ties (which the American side still mindlessly refers to as an “alliance”) promise to get even worse. I even foresee a limited U.S. military action across the Pakistani borders to eradicate the Haqqani fighters.
Tag: Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
“Hell” Must be Where Extremism Mushrooms
Looking at the tepid global reaction to the massacre of the civilians in Gaza, one wonders whether the conscience of the international community is half asleep or is suffering from something called sympathy fatigue. Hundreds of civilian casualties, incessantly escalating human misery, and with no end in the Israeli military action in sight, even God seems to have abandoned them. At the same time, it should be said unequivocally that Hamas’ indiscriminate firing of missiles on Israeli cities is a repulsive act. One U.N. official involved in rescue attempts stated that Gaza has turned into hell. That, alas, seems to be the fate of Muslims in many places.