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`Pak has reasons not to act against Haqqanis`
US` Admiral Mike Mullen had accused Pakistan`s ISI of exporting violence through the Haqqani network.
Islamabad: Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has said his country’s government has “definite reasons” for not acting against the Haqqani network, as such action might hinder its current interests.
Although he did not rule out future action against the Haqqani network, Musharraf insisted that he was not aware of any such information in this regard.
Talking about militants being killed in drone strikes, the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying that it should not be done at the cost of improving bilateral relations. Last month, US’ former top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen had accused Pakistan`s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) of exporting violence through the Haqqani network.
Admiral Mullen had said then that ISI was actively supporting terror networks linked to al Qaeda, and blamed it for an earlier assault on the US embassy in Kabul.
"In choosing to use violent extremism as an instrument of policy, the government of Pakistan - and most especially the Pakistani Army and ISI - jeopardises not only the prospect of our strategic partnership, but also Pakistan`s opportunity to be a respected nation with legitimate regional influence. By exporting violence, they have eroded their internal security and their position in the region," he had claimed. His comments angered the Pakistan establishment so much that they even threatened to break ties with Washington, insisting that no baseless allegation or attack on their sovereignty would be tolerated.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar even went to the extent of saying that the Haqqani group was in fact the Central Investigative Agency`s (CIA) "blue-eyed boy" for many years.
"If we talk about links, I am sure the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) also has links with many terrorist organisations around the world, by which we mean intelligence links. And this particular network, which the United States continues to talk about, is a network which was the blue-eyed boy of the CIA itself for many years," she added.
ANI
Although he did not rule out future action against the Haqqani network, Musharraf insisted that he was not aware of any such information in this regard.
Talking about militants being killed in drone strikes, the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying that it should not be done at the cost of improving bilateral relations. Last month, US’ former top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen had accused Pakistan`s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) of exporting violence through the Haqqani network.
Admiral Mullen had said then that ISI was actively supporting terror networks linked to al Qaeda, and blamed it for an earlier assault on the US embassy in Kabul.
"In choosing to use violent extremism as an instrument of policy, the government of Pakistan - and most especially the Pakistani Army and ISI - jeopardises not only the prospect of our strategic partnership, but also Pakistan`s opportunity to be a respected nation with legitimate regional influence. By exporting violence, they have eroded their internal security and their position in the region," he had claimed. His comments angered the Pakistan establishment so much that they even threatened to break ties with Washington, insisting that no baseless allegation or attack on their sovereignty would be tolerated.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar even went to the extent of saying that the Haqqani group was in fact the Central Investigative Agency`s (CIA) "blue-eyed boy" for many years.
"If we talk about links, I am sure the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) also has links with many terrorist organisations around the world, by which we mean intelligence links. And this particular network, which the United States continues to talk about, is a network which was the blue-eyed boy of the CIA itself for many years," she added.
ANI