"The pattern by now is all too familiar. Once again, the US is ratcheting up its rhetoric against Pakistan. Earlier instances included the "crisis" when the US killed three Pakistani soldiers and Pakistan responded by closing strategic border crossings. This was followed by the Raymond Davis fiasco. Then came exchanges of bluster over the US unilateral action that took out Osama bin Laden. Now, the target of US ire is the cozy relationship between the Haqqani network and Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI."
"The Senate committee approved $1 billion in aid to support counter-insurgency operations by Pakistan's military, but voted to make this and any economic aid conditional on Islamabad cooperating with Washington against militant groups including the Haqqanis. A series of high-level meetings between US and Pakistani officials also has taken place over the last week to hammer home these allegations against Pakistan, despite this warning in the Reuters article: However, U.S. officials cautioned that the information that Pakistan's spy agency was encouraging the militants was uncorroborated."
U.S. rhetoric toward Pakistan has escalated following a string of confrontations that include the killing of Pakistani soldiers, the Raymond Davis incident, and the unilateral raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Recent U.S. intelligence reporting alleges a direct ISI role in urging or directing the Haqqani network to attack the U.S. Embassy and a NATO headquarters in Kabul. The U.S. Senate tied $1 billion in military aid and other economic assistance to Pakistani cooperation against militant groups, and multiple high-level meetings have been held to press these allegations. U.S. officials cautioned that the intelligence remains uncorroborated, while Pakistani media offered alternative perspectives.
Read at Emptywheel
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