DTN News - WASHINGTON DEFENSE NEWS ANALYSIS: Is It Worth It? Pakistan, U.S. Weigh Aid Calculus

DTN News - WASHINGTON DEFENSE NEWS ANALYSIS: Is It Worth It? Pakistan, U.S. Weigh Aid Calculus

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Chris Allbritton and Susan Cornwall -Islamabad/Washington ~ Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 19, 2011: Muhammad Farooq waits by his truck outside the Pakistani border town of Chaman, the main crossing into southern Afghanistan. He has driven several hundred kilometers from the port city of Karachi carrying supplies for NATO forces, along with a couple of dozen other tankers and trucks.

A paramilitary soldier is seen silhouetted against the sun as he keeps guard at the site where security forces killed five would-be suicide bombers on the outskirts of Quetta May 17, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Naseer Ahmed

"We will start moving soon in a convoy," says Farooq. "We are regularly attacked in this area. We are attacked with sticks, stones and even fired upon."

Indeed, many of the trucks have dents and broken windows, from stones that have found their mark. "This is my third trip here," Farooq says, "and I have decided that this is the last time I'm coming here. It's not worth it."

Farooq's calculation of whether his journey is worth it is a reflection of the larger assessments going on in Islamabad and Washington, which have sharpened since Osama bin Laden was found hiding in plain sight in a garrison town near Islamabad.

Americans wonder if the billions of dollars in military aid they give Pakistan is being misspent or diverted to beef up Pakistan's military capabilities against India, or possibly even to bolster its nuclear weapons capabilities.

Pakistan's government and military believes it is paying a high price to fight America's war against al Qaeda and the Taliban. More than 30,000 Pakistanis have been killed in the decade since the September 11. 2001 attacks, including 5,000 soldiers, police and intelligence agents.

Pakistan, for its part, has received $20.7 billion worth of U.S. assistance over the past decade, about two-thirds of it military aid.

What is clear is that both sides feel short-changed by an alliance they forged 10 years ago that is rooted in battling Islamist militancy, but which has largely ignored starkly different strategic interests.

TRADE-OFF

Pakistan is a nuclear-armed and politically volatile country that has fought three major wars with India and fought countless skirmishes. This rivalry largely defines its policy.

The United States has given Pakistan billions to flush out Taliban and al Qaeda militants along the Afghan border, but few doubt that Islamabad actually protects many of them, seeing them as collateral to ensure that it -- and not India -- has a key role in any settlement in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's preoccupation with its eastern front has led it to snap up weapons as a pace Western experts say may, within the decade, turn it into the world's fourth-largest arms purchaser after the United States, Russia and China.

Pakistan is also suspicious of the United States' ties with India and Washington's help for its nuclear program, a relationship it hopes to counter by cozying up to China.

All that makes for an alliance that is, at best, half-hearted and one in which aid money is diverted toward what Pakistan sees as its strategic interest.

"The U.S. wants to leave Afghanistan, and end terrorist threats, but Pakistan wants parity with India and domination over Afghanistan," Vali Nasr, a former State Department adviser on Afghanistan and Pakistan, wrote in the Financial Times.

"It is not easy to change the calculations of a nuclear power that harbours deep distrust of U.Sharbors. motives."

In the 2009-10 budget, official defense expenditures amounted to $4.45 billion out of a total national budget of $29 billion. In that same fiscal year, according to the Congressional Research Service, direct military-to-military transfers amounted to just over $1 billion, almost a quarter of Pakistan's military spending.

A big chunk of the military aid has been spent on weapons systems that appear to have little to do with fighting terrorists in the mountain wilderness, including 31 F-16 fighters, anti-tank missiles and launchers, fast patrol boats, and the refurbishment of a frigate.

Much of this equipment would, however, be of use on the eastern front where Indian and Pakistan forces have for decades been locked in a tense standoff over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who joined the U.S.-led "war on terrorism" after the September 11 attacks had no qualms about admitting that.

"Whoever wishes to be angry, let them be angry," he once said in an interview. "We have to maintain our security."

The Americans have turned a blind eye.

"Back in even the 1980s when we were providing all kinds of assistance because they were helping us with the Soviet-Afghan war, did we sort of know that they were asking for weapons and systems that weren't necessarily for use in Afghanistan against Soviet troops? Yeah," said a senior U.S. official.

"But it's always a trade-off."

Some Congressional critics have raised the possibility that some of the aid might have been diverted to Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.

"Possibly some of our monies are being diverted to help them increase their missile launch activities for their nuclear weaponry," said Republican Senator Bob Corker, who along with colleagues received a closed-door briefing by CIA Director Leon Panetta about the bin Laden mission.

"So, you know, I think this is a major reset button for us, time for us to really look at this relationship in a serious way," he told CNN in an interview.

SUPPLY LINES

The convoys that carry non-lethal supplies for the U.S.-led war in landlocked Afghanistan, through crossings in Chaman in southern Pakistan and Khyber Pass in the north, are just one factor in the calculus.

Pakistani lawmakers, angry over the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden have warned that Pakistan may cut the supply lines if the United States continues to launch missile strikes against Islamist militants on their soil.

A NATO helicopter incursion into Pakistani territory on Tuesday will likely increase such calls. A 10-day shutdown followed last year after similar incursions.

Their counterparts in the U.S. Congress have threatened to cut the $3 billion in annual military and economic aid to Islamabad if it turns out Pakistani authorities knew that the al Qaeda leader was holed up for year in a villa just 50 km (30 miles) from the capital.

Several senior U.S. Senate Democrats this week urged the Obama administration not to disburse any more security aid to Pakistan until it is sure Islamabad is not letting al Qaeda and other militant groups operate there.

U.S.-Pakistani relations have long been called a marriage of convenience but, since the killing of bin Laden, there have been increasingly strident calls in both nations for a divorce.

But blowing up the relationship, and the aid that comes with it, is an option the United States and Pakistan can ill-afford, because the stakes are so high.

Nasr, the former senior State Department advisor, said the United States should now "hug" Pakistan more closer than ever, and suggested Washington actually offer more assistance in exchange for a genuine agreement from Pakistan to change course.

"The conventional wisdom says Washington's policy of engagement has been a failure, and argues for a return to the distrustful approach that dominated American policy during the early 2000s. This would be a serious mistake," he said.

MORE RIGOROUS ACCOUNTING

It has been widely assumed that some of the aid money is being diverted to well-connected pockets.

A 2008 study by the U.S. Government Accounting Office found a number of abuses in money spent under the Coalition Support Funds (CSF) that reimburse countries for their spending in the battle against terrorism.

They included $200 million for air defense radar equipment when the insurgents do not have air forces, and $30 million for roads and $15 million for bunkers that were not actually built.

The navy received more than $19,000 per vehicle each month just to maintain and operate a fleet of 20 passenger vehicles.

Between 2004 and 2007, Pakistan billed the U.S. government $200 a month per soldier in food costs -- it fluctuated between $500 and $800 for sailors. That's between 2.5 and 9.6 times Pakistan's per-capita annual income, which was just over $1,000 in 2009.

When the Office of Defense Representative-Pakistan (ODRP) began to more rigorously verify the Pakistani claims after that 2008 GAO report, the percentage of claims that were rejected doubled in six months to 6 percent and then more than tripled to 22 percent in the next six-month period.

For example, in the first two quarters of fiscal year 2010, Pakistan submitted claims of $531 million and $530 million. The United States paid out $263 million and $326 million.

"We certainly get claims that we have questions about," a U.S. official in Islamabad told Reuters. The official asked for anonymity to speak candidly about the relationship.

Another senior U.S. official dryly added: "In this part of the world, in many parts of the world, there's always a tendency to pad the contracts."

The more rigorous accounting and slower disbursement has added another irritant to the uneasy partnership. Pakistan is at pains to point out that much of the money it gets is not really aid but a reimbursement of expenses it incurs in fighting the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

Pakistan's Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the military gets reimbursed for things like fuel, maintenance of equipment and vehicles, and maintaining soldiers in the field.

He said the money goes first to the finance ministry, then the Defense ministry before it is allocated to the military.

Pakistan is one of the top recipients of U.S. aid along with Egypt and Israel, but it has not bought America much popularity. Opinion surveys show an overwhelming majority of the Pakistani public holds an unfavorable view of their ostensible ally.

So, is U.S. aid to Pakistan really worthwhile? Officials say only time can tell.

"In the long run, in the historic perspective, will we be able to say it was worth it? Or will historians be able to say that?" mused the senior U.S. official. "I really don't know at this point."

(Additional reporting by Rebecca Conway in Islamabad, David Alexander and Missy Ryan in Washington and Faisal Aziz in Quetta; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Miral Fahmy)

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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources

By Chris Allbritton and Susan Cornwall -Islamabad/Washington ~ Reuters

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DTN News: Army, Marines Adjust ‘Reset’ For Afghan Buildup

DTN News: Army, Marines Adjust ‘Reset’ For Afghan Buildup *Source: DTN News / By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden ~ American Forces Press Service (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - December 13, 2009: As the U.S. military answers President Barack Obama’s order to reinforce efforts in Afghanistan, the Army and Marine Corps are adjusting their plans to redeploy working and serviceable equipment, top military officers told Congress on Dec. 10, 2009. US soldiers unload humanitarian aid for distribution to the town of Rajan Kala, Afghanistan December 5th. The team used the Striker armored vehicles to move the humanitarian aid from the Joint District Community Center to the town of Rajan Kala. The soldiers are assigned to Company C, First Battalion, 17th Regiment. Photo/info courtesy of DoD* Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, and Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, testified on their services’ “reset” requirements before subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee.

The proceedings were a continuation of a July hearing that was interrupted because of a prolonged series of House votes. The initial hearing focused on Iraq drawdown plans and attempted to outline the method in which the services determined what equipment would redeploy and what would be left for Iraqi security forces.

However, much has changed in the past five months. On Dec. 1, Obama ordered a surge of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, , so some of the equipment in Iraq that was scheduled to return to the United States has been re-directed to outfit units headed to Afghanistan.

Roughly 22,000 soldiers are part of the plus-up in Afghanistan, “and quite a bit of the equipment coming out of Iraq [will] be used to support those soldiers,” Chiarelli said.

“That will mean as we begin the Iraq drawdown in earnest, that there will be less equipment coming back to the states for reset,” the general said.

Amos described the Marine Corps adjustment since July, noting 15,000 Marines were on the ground in Iraq then. Only about one-third of those Marines remain, and about 97 percent of their combat equipment was returned home or is being refurbished in Kuwait, Amos said.

When Marine Corps leaders heard of the possibility of an Afghan buildup, a “big chunk” of their equipment in Kuwait was made ready for Afghanistan, he added.

“When we first heard an inkling of a plus-up in Afghanistan, we took the equipment that we knew was furbishable and in good condition and set it aside in anticipation of the president’s directive,” Amos explained.

The Marine Corps buildup is roughly 9,000 Marines, and is the service’s No. 1 priority, he said. Amos added that those Marines will be equipped either in Kuwait or at their home stations. “Our greatest focus right now is getting equipment to our forces in Afghanistan,” he continued.

“We will have 100 percent of every piece of equipment they need, with all the capabilities.” Another change Amos noted since the July hearing was the Marine Corps’ reset bill.

When he last testified, he estimated that the Marine Corps would need about $20 billion to completely replace war-torn and unusable equipment.

The estimate has increased an additional $15 billion to accommodate the Afghanistan mission and lessons learned in the past five months, he said. Chiarelli didn’t have an opportunity to elaborate on the Army’s reset costs, but considering the Army is a much larger force, the costs are likely higher.

He did note that the Army is set to establish Red River Army Depot in Texas as its maintenance hub for mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, better known as MRAPs. The initiative is now a pilot program, but should be fully up and running in fiscal 2011, he said.

The Army has integrated about 37,000 MRAP vehicles into its force, because of the added protection its V-shaped hull provides troops. “I think we’re embracing the MRAP, and doing everything we can to ensure when those vehicles start flowing back out of theater, we’re ready to accept them, sustain them and reset them,” Chiarelli said.

The Marine Corps also has determined that the MRAP is going to be part of its total ground tactical vehicle strategy after success in Iraq and Afghanistan, Amos said. He anticipates more than 2,300 MRAP vehicles to soon become part of the regular Marine inventory.

In July, both generals expressed concern over the degrading readiness of their forces after nearly eight years of high tempo counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The generals conceded that the ground forces must maintain capabilities to respond to future contingencies around the world.

Amos said the current security environments in Iraq and Afghanistan justify the readiness tradeoff, but the military must remain balanced and have the support of the American people and Congress to seek modernization.

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY December 4, 2009 ~ U.S. Supply Chain Ready For Afghanistan Troop Surge

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY December 4, 2009 ~ U.S. Supply Chain Ready For Afghanistan Troop Surge *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA/KABUL, Afghanistan - December 4, 2009: The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is well-prepared for the surge of 30,000 troops President Barack Obama is planning for Afghanistan, despite the country's austere environment, the agency's director told attendees at a conference on military logistics Dec. 2.A supply convoy snakes its way through the mountains of Afghanistan. (U.S. ARMY) The DLA, with a staff of 25,000, supplies parts, fuel, clothing, medical supplies and construction materials to troops and works with the logistics support organizations in each of the services. DLA has been working closely with Oshkosh Defense on getting the MRAP All Terrain Vehicle (MATV) to Afghanistan, and the company is well on its way to the production goal 1,000 vehicles per month, said Vice Adm. Alan Thompson, DLA's director. "They are pouring into Afghanistan now," Thompson said. Oshkosh is set to build 6,219 MATVs for the military. The agency is also preparing its supply chains of fuel, medical supplies and clothing for the buildup. "With clothing, this is obviously a very important element of DLA support," Thompson said. "When you look at troop buildup, obviously, we've been at work for a number of months building up the sustainment supplies for the troops and looking across the country where we have those supplies located, and I think we're going to be in very good shape to handle the inflow of troops there." But Afghanistan's lack of infrastructure will present challenges, such as the difficulties of trucking in construction materials. "As you look at the base infrastructure in Afghanistan," Thompson said, "it truly is unlike most other places on the Earth - very austere, little infrastructure, dirt roads, frequent insurgent attacks, land mines everywhere. So it'll be very, very challenging when we operate from a logistics perspective, particularly challenging from a standpoint of transportation. So we work very closely with U.S. Central Command and U.S. TransCom to move materiel in by boat, surface and air. "One of the things that we work very closely with TransCom on [is] ... facilitating mutual ground lines of supply for what we call the Northern Distribution Network through the central Asian states, and this is proving to be a critical enabler in moving much of the construction supply for buildings, that sort of thing, into Afghanistan," Thompson said. As far as DLA's distribution network in the region, he said, "There's a very mature distribution capability in Iraq. We're repositioning and downsizing that in anticipation of a withdrawal of U.S. forces that will occur in the spring or early summer of next year." DLA urgently needs a facility in Afghanistan, he said, "so we're hard at work in bringing a facility to life in the southern region of Kandahar that can provide that back-up support to the Army and Marine Corps units in the months ahead." In the meantime, DLA will also rely on its existing distribution center in Kuwait, he said. Thompson also touched on DLA's role in helping Iraqi and Afghan security forces develop their own logistics organizations, the first time DLA has taken on this role, he said. DLA has met with leaders from the two countries to agree on a framework for DLA's role in helping build the logistics organizations. "It will be important, especially for Iraq, to leave the country not only with a working military, but one that can sustain itself in the future," Thompson said.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY November 10, 2009 ~ Militant Attacks Leave Six Pakistan Troops Dead

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY November 10, 2009 ~ Militant Attacks Leave Six Pakistan Troops Dead *Analysis: Pakistan has for too many years indulged in unproductive activities by supporting, harbouring, financing Islamic militants in FATA region to destabilize its neighbours in the north, east as well providing elements for 9/11, Bali blasts and other incidents. Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf told CNN in an interview telecast Sunday November 8, 2009.,admitted that there is an ingress of the Pakistani spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in every group, but denied reports and statements by US leaders that ISI still supports the Taliban terrorists. "They (ISI) will not support it (terrorists). That was not the government policy. That was not the military policy. However, there was ingress," he said. "Always, in every group, there is an ingress of the ISI. And that is the efficiency, the effectiveness of the ISI. You must have ingress, so that you can influence all organisations. "And it is this ingress of theirs, which doesn't mean that they are supporting them, but they have ingress. They have some contacts, which can be used for their own advantage," Musharraf said. Since last year, Pakistan has being pressurized by Obama administration to contain Islamic militants on account of economy and military aid in billions of dollars, the same elements are now rebelling against their mentor the ISI (Pakistani Army Intelligence Wing.) That is the bottomline and simple story. There is a saying "as you sow, so shall you reap". By Gulam Rasul Shah *Source: DTN News / AFP (NSI News Source Info) PESHAWAR, Pakistan - November 10, 2009: Militant attacks killed six troops in Pakistan's tribal belt, where soldiers backed by warplanes and helicopter gunships are pressing a major anti-Taliban offensive, officials said Monday.The military says around 480 militants and 46 soldiers have been killed since the offensive began The first attack, late Sunday, left four soldiers dead in Makin, one of the battlefields where ground troops are pressing an operation against the homegrown Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) network into a fourth week. Military officials said initially that the soldiers died in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack -- of the type deployed by the Taliban to such deadly effect against US and NATO troops across the border in Afghanistan. But the army press office later issued a statement saying militants fired rockets at a security checkpost, killing the four soldiers and wounding one other. Eight militants were killed, the statement said. Further to the north in the lawless tribal belt, where US officials say Al-Qaeda are plotting attacks on the West, a roadside bomb killed two paramilitary soldiers in Bajaur district, officials said. The soldiers were travelling at the time in a vehicle to take up duty at the strategic Mullahsaid Top checkpoint, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Khar, the main town of Bajaur. "Two soldiers were killed and one injured in an IED attack," tribal administration official Abdul Hameed Khan told AFP. Paramilitary and intelligence officials confirmed Monday's incident and toll. Officials say the Taliban have stepped up attacks in Bajaur to deflect attention away from South Waziristan, where around 30,000 Pakistani troops are pressing their most ambitious offensive to date against the TTP. Makin is one of the most notorious Taliban-held towns in South Waziristan and close to where former TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud had a house, which the military said Friday had been demolished. A US missile attack killed Mehsud on August 5 in South Waziristan, part of the border area with Afghanistan that Washington calls the most dangerous place in the world because of an abundance of Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. The military says around 480 militants and 46 soldiers have been killed since the offensive began, but security officials and analysts say that many Islamist rebels have simply fled rather than staying to fight. The military provides the only regular information coming from the frontlines. None of the details can be verified because communication lines are down and journalists and aid workers barred from the area. Disclaimer statement Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.

DTN News: International Forces Train Afghans In Critical Care

DTN News: International Forces Train Afghans In Critical Care *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, - November 2, 2009: U.S. and other international troops in Afghanistan recently provided training in critical patient care and blood processing to Afghan doctors that they hope will spread throughout the country. An Afghan doctor with the National Military Hospital in Kabul preps an Afghan soldier to donate blood at the Kandahar Regional Military Hospital in Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tyrona Pearsall Afghan and coalition mentors from the National Military Hospital in Kabul provided the first-of-its-kind training here Oct. 19-22. The two courses were designed to fill shortfalls in health care provider training, as well as strengthen the Afghans’ ability to provide quality care within the critical moments after an incident occurs. “It’s very important to have this kind of training because of the sustainment aspect,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Lorn Heyne, chief of the medical embedded training team at Kandahar Regional Military Hospital. “As these young providers grow in their ability to provide care to the wounded soldiers here, they will eventually move on. They will have the opportunity to train other providers and they will go on and they will treat civilians. Having this basic critical care knowledge is invaluable to the sustainment of the medical care system in all of Afghanistan.” The importance of the training also was underscored by the Kandahar hospital’s commander. "This training is very important for us,” said Col. Abdul Baseer. “About two years ago when we started our hospital here, our doctors were not as strong in their practice as they could have been. Since then, mentors and doctors came from the capital, from other provinces, to help train our hospital staff, and the staff’s [capability] kept growing better … it’s very good." In addition to the critical combat care, hospital staff were trained on blood component processes, as well. "Basically, what we did was work on some blood component production, which is essentially the collection of whole blood, the centrifugation and splitting of the plasma and red cell portions into separate components," said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Leslie Riggs, medical embedded team mentor for the National Military Hospital. "Essentially what that does is it allows for better transfusion therapy for the patient.” Another benefit of the training was to implement an Afghanistan-wide standardization of how to treat and store blood and associated components. "We want to organize all regional hospital blood banks to work the same way," said Dr. Mohammad Sakhi, blood bank supervisor and quality control manager for the National Medical Hospital. Although the success of most training is not measurable until a crisis occurs, the training did have some tangible results. "I think, so far, the training is a success. The proof of that is in the refrigerator and in the freezer right now," Riggs said. "The blood units and the plasma are ready when needed. We don't like to have to use those products, but they're there if needed." Riggs also commented on one aspect of the training he finds most important. "The important thing I think that we've seen from this visit is Afghans teaching Afghans, which has been one of the most important things," Riggs said. "I've come down to help arrange the visit, provided some background knowledge, but my mentee was able to sit this morning and teach one-on-one with his Afghan counterparts here in Kandahar how to do the job … essentially they did it themselves."

DTN News: US Quietly Expedites Aid For Pakistan Military Operations ~ NY Times

DTN News: US Quietly Expedites Aid For Pakistan Military Operations ~ NY Times *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) KARACHI, Pakistan - October 30, 2009: The United States has quietly rushed millions of dollars worth of military equipment to Pakistani forces in recent months, the NYTimes quoted American and Pakistani officials as saying.‘We are doing everything within our power to assist Pakistan in improving its counterinsurgency capabilities:’ official. Prior to the Swat operation in the spring, Pakistan’s army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani asked that the US quickly deliver 10 Russian-built Mi-17s. According to the US newspaper, both US President Barack Obama and US army chief Admiral Mike Mullen personally intervened to fulfil his request; four copters were leased in June and the remaining provided to Pakistan under various authorities. The report (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/world/asia/29weapons.html?ref=world) says that a whole range of other weapons, hardware and sensors have been provided to the Pakistan army. These include spare parts for Cobra helicopter gunships, night vision goggles, body armour and eavesdropping equipment. Presently, American military surveillance drones are supporting the Waziristan operation by feeding video images and target information to Pakistani ground commanders. The Pentagon has also quietly provided the Pakistani Air Force with high-resolution, infrared sensors for its F-16 warplanes, which Pakistan is using to target its attacks on Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan. ‘We’ve put military assistance to Pakistan on a wartime footing, as up to now it has been in a peacetime process,’ the paper quoted Lt. Col. Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, as saying. ‘We are doing everything within our power to assist Pakistan in improving its counterinsurgency capabilities.’ The number of American Special Forces soldiers and support personnel who are training and advising Pakistani Army and paramilitary troops has doubled in the past eight months, to 150. Despite the expedited assistance, Pakistani officials are still upset with the pace of disbursement of all kinds of aid. Pakistani officials are particularly unhappy about the US’s refusal to share some sought-after high-tech military equipment, like Apache helicopters and Predator drones. Pakistani authorities are also reluctant to publicize the aid they have been receiving for the ongoing operations, the report notes. It points to army spokesman Athar Abbas’s statement that the South Waziristan action was a purely Pakistani enterprise, unaided by the US. ‘Let us finish the job on our own,’ he told reporters, However, the report indicates that the US govt does not have a problem with the Pakistani authorities downplaying its involvement. An American adviser in Pakistan, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal United States policy, said, ‘US current military assistance either demonstrates US resolve and offsets anti-Americanism, or is deliberately underplayed to boost Pakistani military and political credibility, and the latter meets our policy objectives more closely.’ — NYTimes (www.nytimes.com)

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY October 16, 2009 ~ Suicide Bomber Kills 12 In Pakistan's Peshawar

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY October 16, 2009 ~ Suicide Bomber Kills 12 In Pakistan's Peshawar

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) PESHAWAR, Pakistan - October 16, 2009: Pakistani forces attacked a Taliban stronghold with aircraft and artillery on Friday, as a suicide bomber killed 12 people in the city of Peshawar in the latest in a wave of militant attacks. The government says a ground offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in their South Waziristan lair is imminent and the army has been stepping up its air and artillery attacks in recent days to soften up the militants' defenses. The militants have launched a string of brazen attacks in the past 11 days, striking at the United Nations, the army headquarters, police and the general public, killing about 150 people, apparently trying to stave off the army assault. Friday's blast was outside an office of the police's Central Investigation Agency in the capital of North West Frontier Province, a staging post for U.S. supplies into neighboring Afghanistan. "I was on the spot within minutes and helped remove bodies. They were really in bad shape," said resident Mohammad Rizwan. Police said a woman appeared to have been involved in the attack, while provincial Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain said the bomber drove up to the police office. "His leg has been found. It is not clear if it is of a man or a woman," Hussain told reporters, adding three policemen were among the dead. A hospital official said 12 people had been killed. A nearby mosque was damaged and about a dozen people were wounded. Television showed anxious policemen wheeling bloodied colleagues into hospital. The government says the militant attacks have only reinforced its determination to defeat its enemies. Nuclear-armed Pakistan is under U.S. pressure to crack down on Islamist militancy as President Barack Obama considers a boost in troop numbers fighting in neighboring Afghanistan. Aircraft and artillery struck militant positions in their strongholds of Ladha, Makeen and in the mountainous Shahoor region of South Waziristan overnight, hours after killing 27 militants in the region in various strikes. "We could see thick smoke and flames leaping into the sky from caves in the mountains after the bombing by jet fighters," said a resident near Shahoor who declined to be identified. Security officials said they had no information about casualties in the latest attacks. Pakistani officials gather at the spot of a suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at a mosque next to a police station in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday, killing more than 10 people in the latest bloodshed in an unrelenting wave of terror that has hit the country. "SOME FLEEING" An army official in the region said some Taliban were trying to leave the area in disguise ahead of the offensive.

"They are now trying to run but we have tightened controls around their areas and are checking every person leaving," said the military official in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, where the army has a base. About 28,000 troops are in place to take on an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban, army officials have said. Pakistan's stock market slipped as the violence escalated at the beginning of the week, but the main index was 1.1 percent higher at 0800 GMT. Investors would be reassured by an offensive on South Waziristan as a sign the government was getting to grips with the militants, dealers say. Pakistani Taliban fighters made advances toward Islamabad early this year, raising fears about the stability of the U.S. ally. But significant military gains in the Swat valley, from where militants have largely been driven out in recent months, have reassured the U.S. and Western allies about Pakistan's commitment to the fight. In a sign of U.S. continuing support, President Barack Obama signed on Wednesday a $7.5 billion aid bill for Pakistan over the next five years. But Pakistan's military has complained about the bill because the legislation ties some funds to fighting militants and is seen by critics as violating sovereignty.

Pakistan Related Headline News....for full stories click on the links below

~ Video: Taliban bomb attacks provoke likely S. Waziristan offensive ~ Double bombing kills 11 at Pakistan police station The Associated Press

~ Pakistan suicide bomb kills 12 Guardian.co.uk

~ Insurgents attack Pakistani police Toronto Star

DTN News: U.S. Seeks To Pacify Pakistani Fears Over Aid

DTN News: U.S. Seeks To Pacify Pakistani Fears Over Aid

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, US - October 14, 2009: U.S. lawmakers and the Obama administration sought on Tuesday to allay concerns in Pakistan over conditions tied to billions of dollars in non-military U.S. aid but made clear the legislation would not be changed. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was in Washington last week applauding the $7.5 billion aid plan, was back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday after his country's military protested against the bill, which links some funds to fighting militants and is seen by critics as violating sovereignty. Qureshi's return underscores mistrust over U.S. intentions in Pakistan and the rift between its fragile civilian government and the military leadership that has ruled the South Asian nation for more than half of its 62-year history. The United States is the biggest aid donor to nuclear-armed Pakistan and needs its help in hunting al Qaeda leaders and stopping Islamist militants from crossing the border into Afghanistan to fight U.S.-led forces there. U.S. lawmakers, while sympathetic to delicate Pakistani politics, made clear conditions attached to the aid, which still has to be appropriated by Congress, could not be eased. But Senator John Kerry, one of the authors of the bill, said an attempt would be made in the next 24 hours to clarify in writing some of the terms that he described as not having been characterized accurately "in some quarters." "The bill doesn't have to be changed," Kerry said after meeting Qureshi. "If there is a misinterpretation, it simply has to be clarified." A congressional aide said the Senate and House of Representatives foreign affairs committees would issue a "joint explanatory statement" on Wednesday laying out what was in the legislation. The bill, which Kerry said was designed as a "true sign of friendship" for Pakistan, provides for $1.5 billion in non-military aid over the next five years. Reiterating that the bill did not impinge on Pakistani sovereignty, Kerry said he was confident "we will not only be able to adequately address the concerns that have been raised in Pakistan but we will provide a clarity that has force of law." SOVEREIGNTY CONCERNS Qureshi said he had conveyed to Kerry the sovereignty worries raised in Pakistan's parliament and said these fears needed to be addressed. "We are going to work on it collectively to give it the correct interpretation," Qureshi said. In the House, a spokesman for one of the appropriations subcommittees made clear the aid would be subject to annual review. "The amount and type of assistance Pakistan receives will continue to be determined on a yearly basis by the performance of the Pakistanis in fighting al Qaeda, strict accountability of funding, and the fiscal realities facing our nation," said Matt Dennis, a spokesman for Representative Nita Lowey, chair of the State and Foreign Operations appropriations subcommittee. Before going to Capitol Hill, Qureshi met the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, and later met national security advisor James Jones. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama saw the legislation as an important step forward and planned to sign the bill "soon." Several congressional sources expected the signing to take place on Wednesday but the White House could not confirm this. "I think the opponents of this bill ... are misinformed or are characterizing this in a different way for their own political purposes," Gibbs told reporters. Former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin said tensions over the aid package underlined the "trust deficit" between the two countries. She said there needed to be strong diplomatic efforts to resolve this. Pakistan expert Alex Thier said, just as in the United States, Pakistan's political leaders needed to balance their need for U.S. economic support with popular backing. "This looks very dangerous, not only to the military, but also expands this narrative that the U.S. is trying to micromanage Pakistani security," said Thier of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

DTN News: Philippine President Seeks US Commitment On Peace, Economy

DTN News: Philippine President Seeks US Commitment On Peace, Economy

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - August 1, 2009: Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and President Obama will hold their first meeting in Washington Thursday, July 30.

One of the staunchest supporters in Asia of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, Mrs. Arroyo seeks a continued commitment from Washington on peace and economic assistance. U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, July 30, 2009.

But political analysts say the 2010 elections and Mrs. Arroyo's political plans will loom large when the two leaders meet.President Arroyo will be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet with President Obama in the White House.

Mrs. Arroyo says on top of the agenda will be peace and security, and development assistance particularly, in the conflict-ridden southern Philippines.

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has plowed millions of dollars into the rehabilitation of conflict areas in the Philippines. Much of the money has been aimed at Muslim communities in the south, helping education, telecommunications and livelihood projects.

The U.S. military also maintains hundreds of soldiers in the southern Philippines on rotation as part of joint counterterrorism exercises.

The visit comes as Mrs. Arroyo has less than a year left in office. Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute of Political and Economic Reforms in Manila, says another significant issue at the Washington meeting will be the 2010 election and Mrs. Arroyo's political plans.

The Constitution bars Mrs. Arroyo from seeking another term, and she says she no desire to extend her time in office.

But there is considerable speculation about the motives of her allies in Congress, who are taking steps to amend the Constitution and change the government from a presidential to a parliamentary system.

"There is a political struggle going on regarding the question of whether or not she would really leave the office ... It would be very much in their [U.S.] interest to ensure that Philippine democracy is stable and that it plays a role model in this part of the world and that they can do their business here without any destabilizing factor," said Casiple.

The U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney said in June that the U.S. is "closely monitoring" the progress of the proposed constitutional amendments.

Mrs. Arroyo says her trip is also meant to pursue more U.S. investment in the Philippines, despite the global economic downturn.

Two American companies, the computer chip maker Intel and tire company Goodyear, have shut down plants in the Philippines this year.

The Philippines was a U.S. colony for nearly half of the 20th century. The U.S. military maintained bases in the country until 1992.

Pakistan Expanding Nuclear Arsenal: Report

Pakistan Expanding Nuclear Arsenal: Report

*Analysis: Pakistan is in denial on everything from Islamic militants, Taliban, al Qaeda, Nuclear arsenal and so on. Pakistan denied it was expanding its nuclear arsenal, a week after the top U.S. military officer said there was evidence it was doing so. Pakistan is battling a growing insurgency by Islamist militants with links to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Washington is considering giving it billions of dollars in aid to help fight the insurgents, who are also blamed for attacks on U.S. and foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan. (DTN News Defense-Technology News .... May 19, 2009)

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 19, 2009: Pakistan is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, raising questions in the U.S. Congress whether billions of dollars in proposed military aid to strife-torn country could be diverted to its nuclear program, The New York Times reported late May 18. Pakistan denied it was expanding its nuclear arsenal, a week after the top U.S. military officer said there was evidence it was doing so. Pakistan is battling a growing insurgency by Islamist militants with links to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Washington is considering giving it billions of dollars in aid to help fight the insurgents, who are also blamed for attacks on U.S. and foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan. The newspaper said members of Congress have been told about Pakistan's nuclear drive in confidential and public briefings by Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pakistan's effort to build new nuclear weapons has been a source of growing concern in Washington, because the country is producing more nuclear material at a time when the United States is increasingly focused on trying to assure the security of Pakistan's 80 to 100 weapons so that they will never fall into the hands of Islamic insurgents, the report said. The administration's effort is complicated by the fact that Pakistan is producing an unknown amount of new bomb-grade uranium and, once a series of new reactors is completed, bomb-grade plutonium for a new generation of weapons, the paper added. President Barack Obama has called for passage of a treaty that would stop all nations from producing more fissile material. Obama administration officials said they had communicated to Congress that their intent was to assure that military aid to Pakistan was directed toward counterterrorism and not diverted, The Times noted. But Mullen's confirmation that the arsenal is increasing seems certain to aggravate Congress's discomfort, the report said. The briefings have taken place as Congress has considered proposals to spend three billion dollars over the next five years to train and equip Pakistan's military for counterinsurgency warfare, the paper pointed out. The aid would come in addition to $7.5 billion in civilian assistance.

US, Pakistan Struggle To Soften Aid Conditions

US, Pakistan Struggle To Soften Aid Conditions (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 17, 2009: The United States and Pakistan are working quietly to remove their differences on the conditions attached to expected US aid as a high-level American delegation leaves for Tokyo to participate in an international donors’ conference. The conference, scheduled on Friday, is expected to raise up to $6 billion to help Pakistan rebuild its ailing economy. The United States has already said that it would make a ‘substantial pledge’ to Pakistan at the conference. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari delivers an opening speech at the Pakistan friends Conferrence in Tokyo on April 17, 2009. Almost 30 donor countries were due to meet in Japan to raise what the World Bank hopes will be four to six billion dollars in aid pledges for poor and violence-torn Pakistan. Pakistan’s economy, considered South Asia’s second-biggest until recently, deteriorated in the past two years amid the highest interest rates in Asia, political wrangling and the nation’s fight against Taliban militants. While the United States has promised to help Pakistan recover, US policy- makers have informed Islamabad that their aid will come with conditions. ‘Clearly, we are going to establish benchmarks. We want to see certain standards and goals met,’ said State Department spokesman Robert Wood while announcing Washington’s intention to make a generous pledge to Pakistan in Tokyo. Pakistan was taken aback when a bill moved in the US House of Representatives last week sought to virtually run its foreign policy in return for $1.5 billion of annual aid for a period of five years. The bill included some conditions that Pakistan had expected, such as a commitment to fighting terrorists and a strict supervision of how the money was spent. But other restrictions go beyond Pakistan’s expectations and seek to rewrite Islamabad’s foreign policy and military strategy as well. Under these conditions, Pakistan will have to change its attitude towards India, regarding it as a friendly nation and not an enemy whether New Delhi reciprocates such gestures or not. Islamabad will also have to ban all Kashmiri groups struggling to free the valley from India’s control. The bill reopens another sensitive issue by proposing a condition that will force Islamabad to allow US investigators access to Dr A. Q. Khan. Pakistan’s envoy in Washington told Dawn before leaving for Tokyo to attend the donors’ conference that he believed some of these restrictions could and would be removed. US lawmakers say that the conditions that require Pakistan to review its relationship with India and ban Kashmiri militant groups reflect their fear that both have contributed to increasing militancy in the region. Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, argues that Islamabad’s focus on India causes it to ignore the border with Afghanistan, which allows the militants to operate freely in the region. Gen Karl Eikenberry, President Obama’s new envoy for Kabul who has headed US forces in Afghanistan, says that Kashmiri militant groups have had links to the Taliban and Al Qaeda and have participated in actions against US forces. Diplomatic observers in Washington say that while the US Congress could soften the two conditions, in return the lawmakers may demand a firmer commitment from Pakistan to rein in the militants and to uproot those based in Fata. Similarly, the condition for allowing US investigators access to nuclear proliferators could also be softened. It could be rephrased to cover future proliferators which would allow Pakistan not to produce Dr Khan before US investigators. The current House bill does not mention him but makes no distinction between future and past proliferators.

WHO ARE THE FRIENDS AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING? * The Friends of Pakistan group was set up in New York on Sept. 26, 2008, with the encouragement of the United States which wants to marshal political and economic support to promote Pakistani stability, which is key to security in the region. * In particular, the group wants to help Pakistan foster economic development and fight terrorism. * The group includes Australia, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Nations and European Union. * It is focusing on five areas: stability, development, Afghan border areas, energy and institution building. * The Friends of Pakistan is not an aid pledging forum. WHAT DOES PAKISTAN WANT FROM THE FRIENDS? * Pakistan will aim to assure the Friends of Pakistan ministerial meeting of its commitment to tackling economic and security problems. President Asif Ali Zardari is expected to set out a medium-term "road map" for action on those issues. * In conjunction with that, Pakistan is expected to present a prioritised wish-list of projects it has drawn up worth $30 billion which it wants to see implemented over the next 10 years. * The list includes hydro-electric dams, roads and projects aimed at improving security. * Pakistan has said it needs a "Marshall Plan" akin to U.S. spending in Europe after World War Two. * Allies will reaffirm political support at the morning Friends meeting. Donors will make aid pledges in the afternoon. HOW MUCH AID DOES PAKISTAN EXPECT? * The donors conference, co-hosted by Japan and the World Bank, is focusing on bilateral aid in support of the $7.6 billion IMF loan. * Pakistan is hoping for $4 billion to fill a financing gap with the aid to be focused on poverty alleviation, education and health. Those sectors have suffered under efforts to cut the fiscal deficit. * If the aid were not to materialise, the poor would suffer but analysts say there is no tradition in Pakistan of mass unrest among the hungry. However, Islamist militants can find recruits from an ever-bigger pool of disaffected, unemployed young men. WHO HAS GIVEN, OR WILL GIVE, WHAT? * Japan is finalising plans to provide Pakistan with up to $1 billion in economic aid over the next two years, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday. * The United States has pledged development aid of $1.5 billion a year for the next five years. * The World Bank gave a $500 million interest free loan last month. It said in February it would lend Pakistan up to $2 billion this year. * China gave $500 million in January to help Pakistan build foreign reserves. * At donor meetings, countries sometimes re-pledge aid already committed as well as making pledges of new aid.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Says Pakistan Will Not Accept Conditional US Aid

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Says Pakistan Will Not Accept Conditional US Aid (NSI News Source Info) MULTAN - April 12, 2009: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that Pakistan would not accept such conditions attached to the US aid which go against the country's interests. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani speaking to the media in Multan. Gilani said that Pakistan wants friendly relations with all the neighbouring countries be it India, Afghanistan or Iran. 'Pakistan is a sovereign country, a self-respecting nation and front line ally in the war against terrorism and will not accept such conditions that are against the interests and stature of the country,' he said. The Prime Minister was speaking to the media at the SBP Multan auditorium soon after chairing a ceremony to mark the launch of South Punjab Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SPWCCI), the first ever chamber representing women business entrepreneurs in the country. Gilani said that Pakistan wants friendly relations with all the neighbouring countries be it India, Afghanistan or Iran. To a question on the Swat peace agreement, the Prime Minister said that Swat was a Princely State before its amalgamation into Pakistan and it had its own customs and tradition. 'People of Swat want a system for speedy justice and martyred PPP leader Benazir Bhutto had also given incentives to them when she was the Prime Minister of the country,' he said. The Prime Minister said that matters pertaining to 'Nizam Adl' have not been approved by the President so far and would be taken to the parliament for a decision. He said that the parliament is the appropriate forum to discuss it.

US Plans Three Billion Dollar Military Boost For Pakistan: Report

US Plans Three Billion Dollar Military Boost For Pakistan: Report

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 6, 2009: The US Defense Department has a three billion dollar plan to train and equip Pakistan's military over the next five years, US media reported Friday. The funds would pay for helicopters, night-vision goggles and other equipment and counterinsurgency training for Pakistan's special operations forces and Frontier Corps paramilitary troops, the New York Times said. Paramilitary troops guard outside the mausoleum of the founder of ruling Pakistan People's Party, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, on his 30th death anniversary in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh near Larkana April 4, 2009. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, father of slained former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was executed by the country's late military dictator General Zia ul Haq on April 4, 1979 in Rawalpindi. It quoted Pentagon officials as saying up to 500 million dollars could come from a yearly emergency war budget that President Barack Obama's administration is to present to Congress next week. But with some legislators expressing concern over the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund, the top US military officer acknowledged that the United States had not mandated enough accountability for the funds. "There hasn't been an audit trail, and there haven't been accountability measures put in place, and there needs to be for all the funds," Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Times's editorial board. "So we're going to do that. For this counterinsurgency money, which is important, it is critical that it goes for exactly that and nowhere else." Mullen said the Pakistani military must change its focus from fighting arch-foe India to combating militants and insurgents within its borders. "That's not going to change overnight," he said. Mullen said insurgents operating in safe havens in Pakistan were preparing attacks against Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The Taliban, in particular, are going both ways now," he said. "They are coming toward Islamabad and they are actually going toward Kabul. I'm completely convinced that the vast majority of the leaders in Pakistan understand the seriousness of the threat." With insurgents in Afghanistan led and backed by hardline militants in tribal areas over the border in Pakistan, the United States has warned Islamabad that in return for economic and military aid it must crack down on Islamist groups. Mullen said last month that aid to Pakistan needed to be linked to concrete action but expressed confidence that the country's military grasped the nature of the threat within its borders. He said the Pakistani military leadership, including chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani, understood that the militants posed a threat to Pakistan itself. "I have great confidence in General Kayani and in the Pakistani military," said Mullen, who holds frequent talks with his Pakistani counterpart. Despite the deployment of more than 100,000 troops, Pakistan has been unable to stop a wave of attacks by Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants that have killed 1,700 since July 2007.

No Aid Until Pakistan Hits Militants: US Lawmaker

No Aid Until Pakistan Hits Militants: US Lawmaker

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 1, 2009: Pakistan must prove it is willing to take on extremists within its own borders before the US delivers financial aid or weapons to the government there, a key senator said on Tuesday. Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he does not believe the United States can buy stability in Pakistan. Levin condemned NATO nations for failing to provide the funding and troops needed to wage the Afghanistan war. Levin said he would support economic and military aid only after he sees that the Pakistani government understands that it is in its own interest to battle its internal insurgent threats. So far, he said he is not convinced. ‘If I thought we could buy stability, I would buy it,’ the Democrat told reporters. ‘I have no reluctance in purchasing stability if it’s effective. But I don’t think its effective unless the recipient of the support sees where the threat is to them. I think otherwise it can backfire.’ Levin’s stance signals some difficulties for the Obama administration’s plans to provide at least $1.5 billion in aid to Pakistan. President Barack Obama endorsed the aid last week as he unveiled his new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, but he also cautioned that the US will not write a blank check to the Pakistani government. Levin said that Pakistan has not displayed the political will to go after extremists, and instead is more inclined to try and buy peace ‘with people I don’t think you can buy peace with.’ At the same time, Levin condemned NATO nations for failing to provide the funding and troops needed to wage the Afghanistan war, saying the allies’ performance has been ‘nothing short of pitiful.’ On top of the 17,000 troops he had already approved, Obama decided last week to send another 4,000 troops that will focus on training Afghan army and police forces to take over their own security. ‘We’ve got a long way to go,’ Maj. Gen. Richard P. Formica, head of training, said Tuesday of his efforts to reform Afghan police. In addition to the US contribution of 4,000 trainers, Afghan officials are working to weed out corrupt practices in the police sector, including in the way equipment is controlled and accounted for and how pay is handled, Formica told a Pentagon news conference.

Pakistan Not Happy With President Barack Obama Strategy

Pakistan Not Happy With President Barack Obama Strategy

*It seems Pakistan is not pleased with US economy aid of $1.5 Billion yearly for coming seven years and considers small reward for their efforts in containing militants at Afghan-Pak border. Also Pakistani army intelligence wing ISI are hesitant to withdraw their support from Taliban. (DTN Defense-Technology News)

(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD - March 29, 2009: Pakistan has decided to convey its concerns through diplomatic channels over certain aspects of the new policy for the region announced by President Barack Obama on Friday. President Obama announces a new comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan in the White House. ’We will speak to them (the United States) on issues of concern in subsequent diplomatic negotiations,’ the President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Dawn on Saturday. A similar impression was given by senior officials of the foreign office, who said the concerns would not go unnoticed and would be taken up at an ‘appropriate level’. President Obama had announced several incentives, including an increase in aid to Pakistan, passage of a legislation on the reconstruction opportunity zones and commitment to democracy in the country, but at the same time he was quite ominous in his tone when he categorically said that there would be no ‘blank cheques’ for Pakistan. Mr Babar said misgivings about Islamabad always existed in Washington’s approach, but the positive elements were new and it was decided that they needed to be hailed. He denied that the presidency’s position contradicted the thinking in the foreign office, saying the FO was consulted while devising the response. But sources in the foreign office insisted that the FO’s reaction was mixed, guarded and not effusive. ‘There are pretty big problems in the policy about which our leadership is not speaking, a senior FO official said. Another senior official said there were no consultations with the FO.

US Pakistan-Afghanistan Envoy In India Next Week

US Pakistan-Afghanistan Envoy In India Next Week

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - March 29, 2009: Top US diplomat Richard Holbrooke will visit India next week to discuss Washington's new strategy to defeat a resurgent Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan that puts Pakistan at the heart of the fight. Top US diplomat Richard Holbrooke will visit India next week to discuss Washington's new strategy to defeat a resurgent Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan that puts Pakistan at the heart of the fight. An Indian government official told AFP that Holbrooke, who last visited the three South Asian nations in February, would be in New Delhi on April 7-8. Holbrooke was appointed to implement the new US strategy under President Barack Obama, who on Friday vowed to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat" Osama bin Laden's group. As part of the policy revamp, Obama also promised to press an additional 4,000 US troops into the "increasingly perilous" war in Afghanistan on top of the 17,000 already committed, and triple US aid to Pakistan's government. According to India, Pakistan has become the "epicentre of terrorism" in the region by sheltering Islamist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is widely blamed for November's attacks on Mumbai that killed 165 people. Pakistan has been a vital US ally since former president George W. Bush invaded neighbouring Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks.