Pakistani political leaders have held an extraordinary meeting to discuss US demands on Islamabad to step up military operations against Islamist militants in the areas bordering on Afghanistan and the possibility the US might take unilateral military action in the country.

Concerns over the possibility of an American attack have grown in Pakistan since the US unilateral raid in Abbottabad on May 2 which killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Fears have been heightened by recent allegations made by US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen that the ISI, Pakistan's intelligence agency, has ties with the Islamist Haqqani Network.

Mullen said Pakistan must "break any link" it has with terrorist organizations. The Haqqanis have recently stepped up attacks in Afghanistan and were allegedly involved in the one on the US embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul in mid September and the assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who played a pivotal role in peace negotiations between the government and the Taliban.

Regional instability

The government in Islamabad has vehemently denied having any ties with terrorist organizations, including the Haqqani Network, and has called on the US to stop blaming Pakistan for regional instability. Washington's allegations were also refuted by the Afghan Taliban, who said, according to Reuters, that the Haqqani Network does not work with the ISI. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid implied the allegations were construed, writing in a statement: "America wants to depict the strength of Islamic Emirate as feeble and attribute its attacks to others."

In a show of support in Pakistan's time of need, Chinese Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu said during his Tuesday visit to Islamabad, "the Sino-Pak friendship cannot be replaced." Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said he was moved by Meng's speech and pledged, "we are true friends. China's enemy is our enemy, we will extend our full cooperation to China on security." Experts believe China's involvement in the current situation threatens to complicate the dynamics of the conflict between the US and Pakistan.

'Scapegoat'

Skepticism and criticism of Washington's politics in the "War on Terror" are growing among the Pakistani population. While Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai believes Mullen's statements were only made because the US needs a "scapegoat," the debate over Pakistan is heating up in the US government. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that Washington was reviewing blacklisting the Haqqani Network. Some of the group's members are already on the US blacklist, but placing the entire organization on it would freeze any assets they might have in the US.

There is also talk in the US government of cutting aid to Islamabad, which receives millions of US dollars in military aid annually, and even possibly expanding military action in Pakistan beyond the use of unmanned drones.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has even spoken in favor of expanding military operations to possibly include the deployment of bomber planes. "If people believe it's gotten to the point that is the only way really to protect our interests, I think there would be a lot of support," he was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

A 'battle of nerves'

But Dr. Ashafaq Hassan, Dean and Professor of the National University of Science and Technology in Islamabad and former economic advisor and special secretary to the Pakistani Ministry of Finance, told Deutsche Welle the growing tensions are no more than a "battle of nerves."

He believes that Pakistan and the US both need each other in the "War on Terror" and that "the Pakistani government and Pakistani military would never like to sever their relationship with the United States. They are rational people. They know the importance of the United States."

Meanwhile, Pakistan aims to end its program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Apparently, it will not seek to extend its three-year loan package, which ends at the end of September. Experts, including Hassan, are not sure Islamabad will manage without the money, unless the government becomes more fiscally responsible.

Some experts are worried that damaged ties with Washington may complicate any future attempts by Pakistan to seek loans from the IMF. "The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are often seen as economic arms of the State Department," Hassan explained. While that may be the general perception, Hassan does not subscribe to that view. "That is not in the interest of the institution itself…I believe the IMF supports countries on the basis of merit."

He is optimistic about Islamabad's support of the US in the "War on Terror," and he does not believe support will diminish because "the War on Terror has become a Pakistani war…we have a 9/11 here every day."

Regardless of the current mutual distrust, Pakistan and the US will, he says, find a way to work together as they are dependent on each other in the fight against terrorism.

Author: Sarah Berning (Reuters, AFP, AP)
Editor: Grahame Lucas