US warned of backlash to scolding of Pakistan
Source: Agencies |
October 8, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
US President Barack Obama's warning to Islamabad over suspected ties to militants will only fuel anti-Americanism and make it harder for Pakistan to support US efforts to stabilize Afghanistan, a senior senator said yesterday.
Pakistan is seen as critical to bringing peace to neighboring Afghanistan, but the US has failed to persuade it to suppress militant groups it claims cross the border to attack Western forces in Afghanistan.
"This is not helping either the US, Afghanistan or Pakistan," said Salim Saifullah, chairman of the Senate foreign affairs committee. "There will be pressure on the (Pakistani) government to get out of this war," he said, referring to the US war on militancy.
Obama warned Pakistan on Thursday that its ties with "unsavory characters" had put relations with the US at risk, as he increased pressure on Islamabad to cut links with militants mounting attacks in Afghanistan.
His comments are likely to deepen a crisis in the strategic alliance between the US and Pakistan.
Obama accused Pakistan's leaders of "hedging their bets" on Afghanistan's future, but stopped short of threatening to cut off US aid, despite calls from lawmakers for a tougher line over accusations that Pakistani intelligence supported strikes on US targets in Afghanistan.
Pakistan claims it has sacrificed more than any other nation that joined America's global "war on terror" after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, losing 10,000 soldiers and security forces, and 30,000 civilians.
But its performance against militants operating from its unruly tribal northwest border region is a frequent source of tension between Washington and Islamabad.
Ties were damaged after US special forces launched a secret raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May, which Islamabad saw as a violation of its sovereignty.
Saifullah said Washington's public criticism of Pakistan will only encourage militant groups.
"War in Afghanistan is passing through a critical, evolutionary phase," he said. "At this stage, muddying water is not appropriate. This is exactly what the militants want."
Many Pakistanis believe they have been dragged into a war against militancy that serves only US interests. That sentiment is growing because of an escalation of US drone aircraft missile strikes against militants in Pakistan under the Obama administration.
Mishayl Naek, a bank employee in Karachi, asked: "Are we owned by the US?"
Businessman Asad Ali Bangash said: "America wants an excuse to invade Pakistan. There are difficult times ahead for Pakistan, because America has decided that Pakistan has to be eliminated because it is a fortress of Islam."
Pakistan is seen as critical to bringing peace to neighboring Afghanistan, but the US has failed to persuade it to suppress militant groups it claims cross the border to attack Western forces in Afghanistan.
"This is not helping either the US, Afghanistan or Pakistan," said Salim Saifullah, chairman of the Senate foreign affairs committee. "There will be pressure on the (Pakistani) government to get out of this war," he said, referring to the US war on militancy.
Obama warned Pakistan on Thursday that its ties with "unsavory characters" had put relations with the US at risk, as he increased pressure on Islamabad to cut links with militants mounting attacks in Afghanistan.
His comments are likely to deepen a crisis in the strategic alliance between the US and Pakistan.
Obama accused Pakistan's leaders of "hedging their bets" on Afghanistan's future, but stopped short of threatening to cut off US aid, despite calls from lawmakers for a tougher line over accusations that Pakistani intelligence supported strikes on US targets in Afghanistan.
Pakistan claims it has sacrificed more than any other nation that joined America's global "war on terror" after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, losing 10,000 soldiers and security forces, and 30,000 civilians.
But its performance against militants operating from its unruly tribal northwest border region is a frequent source of tension between Washington and Islamabad.
Ties were damaged after US special forces launched a secret raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May, which Islamabad saw as a violation of its sovereignty.
Saifullah said Washington's public criticism of Pakistan will only encourage militant groups.
"War in Afghanistan is passing through a critical, evolutionary phase," he said. "At this stage, muddying water is not appropriate. This is exactly what the militants want."
Many Pakistanis believe they have been dragged into a war against militancy that serves only US interests. That sentiment is growing because of an escalation of US drone aircraft missile strikes against militants in Pakistan under the Obama administration.
Mishayl Naek, a bank employee in Karachi, asked: "Are we owned by the US?"
Businessman Asad Ali Bangash said: "America wants an excuse to invade Pakistan. There are difficult times ahead for Pakistan, because America has decided that Pakistan has to be eliminated because it is a fortress of Islam."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
