ANALYSIS: Pakistan unlikely to surrender Haqqani network - for now

By Nadeem Sarwar Sep 29, 2011, 13:55 GMT

Islamabad - The mood in Pakistan is one of defiance as the United States increases pressure on it to take strong action against the Afghan radical Islamist Haqqani group, believed to be responsible for dozens of deadly attacks against NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Since last week, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets, vowing to resist any US invasion and setting ablaze American flags, after the top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, said the Haqqani network was 'a veritable arm' of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

The statement by Mullen, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was followed by warnings from some US lawmakers, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who Wednesday talked about using bomber planes in Pakistan, fuelling anger in a country where anti-US sentiments run high.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters Wednesday that the US was considering declaring the Haqqani network as a terrorist organization.

In an emergency meeting Thursday in Islamabad, leaders of more than 65 political parties discussed the security situation in the aftermath of the US allegations, as they were briefed by ISI chief Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the door for negotiations with the US was open, but emphasized that Pakistan could not take any more 'do more demands' from Washington.

Some conservative Pakistani newspapers published editorials calling on the government and public to prepare for a US invasion, which they claimed looked imminent.

Amid deteriorating relations, which many Pakistani analysts blame on Mullen, there is widespread acknowledgement that little can be done against the Haqqani network.

Amir Rana, the chief of the independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, said: 'The growing sentiments among all the circles, whether military or political leadership or general public, is that Pakistan will not take any pressure from US no matter what happens.'

Rana said, 'Anyone going for any action against Haqqani network, at least right now, would be viewed as American puppet. American top officials should have built pressure on Pakistan through diplomatic channels, privately, instead of making public statements.'

Washington's patience has recently run thin after several years of attempting to persuade Pakistan - supposedly a key ally in the war against terrorism since 2001 - to de-link itself from the Haqqani network that is led by the jihadi commander against the-then Soviet Union, Jalaluddin Haqqani.

The focus has been on the Haqqani network since an attack earlier in September on the US embassy in Kabul, which US officials said was carried out with support from Pakistan's ISI.

Syyed Munawar Hassan, the head of the Islamist party Jamaat Islami, said: 'American forces are losing (the) war in Afghanistan due to its own faults and incapacities and it wants a scapegoat to avoid embarrassment (in the) US public.'

Some Pakistani analysts say that among the mistakes the US has made in Afghanistan is the promotion of rival India and the Northern Alliance, the key anti-Taliban military force. Concerned by any aggression from India on its eastern borders, Pakistan has strived to keep its western border with Afghanistan safe.

Allied with the ISI for years, the Haqqani network is seen as a group that would take care of Pakistan's interests against India in any future setup in Kabul, after successful peace negotiations and the withdrawal of US forces.

'US considers its interests first. That's fine. But when you have to take an ally together with you, you will have to also take care of its interests,' said Ikram Sehgal, a security analyst.

'US should take into consideration that Pakistan has sacrificed the lives of more than 30,000 civilians and 5,000 security personnel in its fight against terrorism,' he said.

Despite the recent tensions, many analysts say that the two allies would avoid an armed conflict. Nuclear-armed Pakistan relies heavily on the US for aid and trade.

'I think both countries are aware of their limits and that's why they will try to defuse tensions in the coming weeks. Neither ... can afford a war,' said Sehgal.

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