Pak continues to abet Haqqani network, says US

Pakistan continues to tolerate and abet the insurgency in Afghanistan, particularly the Haqqani terror network, as it aims for a Pak-friendly government in Kabul with limited Indian influence, the United States said on Friday in a key report prepared for the American Congress.

The Obama administration informed the US Congress that Pakistan continues to play its dubious role inside Afghanistan.

In its first report on Afghanistan sent to the Congress after Leon Panetta took over as the defense secretary a few months ago, the Pentagon said Pakistan continues to tolerate and abet the insurgency in Afghanistan, particularly the Haqqani terror network.

"Enabled safe havens inside Pakistan, the insurgency remains resilient with a notable operational capacity, as reflected in isolated high-profile attacks in Kabul and sustained violence levels in eastern Afghanistan," the Pentagon said in its six-monthly report to the Congress on the progress being made in Afghanistan in the war against terror.

"Pakistan's selective counterinsurgency operations, passive acceptance and in some cases provision of insurgent safe havens, and unwillingness to interdict material such as IED components, continue to undermine security in Afghanistan and threaten ISAFs campaign," the Pentagon said.

Acknowledging that there is strain in its relationship with Islamabad, the 138-page report said overall, Pakistan continues to seek a government in Afghanistan friendly to Pakistan with limited Indian influence, and a political settlement that enables pro-Pakistani Pashtun power brokers to participate in provincial and national government.

Though recent meetings between Afghan and Pakistani
officials continues to seek common ground of co-operation in the aftermath of US-withdrawal, the Pentagon said, mistrust, long-standing tensions, and divergent strategic interest will continue to make genuine cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan difficult.

"Pakistan has long judged that the United States would withdraw from Afghanistan before achieving political stability, leaving Pakistan with either an unstable Afghanistan or an Indian "proxy" on its borders," the report said.

"Nor does Islamabad see a sustained US presence in Afghanistan as a preferable alternative over the long term, it said. As a result, Pakistan seeks to play a dominant role in the peace and reconciliation process. However, "early trends suggests that Pakistan is not prepared to deliver on the expectations established in bilateral and multilateral discussions on reconciliation," the Pentagon assessment said.

It said Pakistan "does not want to undermine its influence in a post-US withdrawal scenario by advancing negotiations on terms that are not assured to protect Pakistan's interest.

The Pentagon report said as a result of its shared border with Afghanistan, its status as a nuclear power, and its role as a partner in the shard fight against Al Qaeda and violent extremism, Pakistan remains a state of central importance in South Asia.