News
Monday, May 16, 2011
US administration divided on ties with Pakistan: report
WASHINGTON: The administration of US President Barack Obama is divided over the future of its relationship with Pakistan following the killing of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
US commandos killed bin Laden in an urban compound only 55 kilometers from the Pakistani capital Islamabad on May 2.
The newspaper said that some officials, particularly in the White House, have advocated a strong US response, especially if Pakistan continues to refuse access to materials left behind by US commandos who scooped up all the paper and computer drives they could carry during their deadly 40-minute raid on bin Laden’s compound.
“You can’t continue business as usual,” the paper quotes one of several senior administration officials as saying who discussed the sensitive issue only on the condition of anonymity.
“You have to somehow convey to the Pakistanis that they have arrived at a big choice. “People who were prepared to listen to (Pakistan’s) story for a long time are no longer prepared to listen,” the official went on to say.
But few officials are willing to consider the alternatives if Pakistan makes the wrong choice, the report said.
Every available option – from limiting US aid and official contacts to unleashing more unilateral ground attacks against terrorist targets – jeopardises existing Pakistani help in the war on terror, The Post noted. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk