Suspicious over ‘terror links’ US to send more military personnel to Pak

WASHINGTON - The Obama Administration’s decision to send 50 more military personnel with four new F-16 combat jets to Pakistan has the latter worried, as it is apprehensive about the US’ plans.

The Pakistan government is worried that the arrival of US troops in the country would add to the already heightened anti-US sentiments prevailing in the country.

There are currently about 200 U.S. military involved in security assistance in Pakistan, including a Special Operations training and advisory contingent. The Central Investigation Agency (CIA) had also sent additional intelligence-gathering operatives and technicians in recent months.

“Certainly, this is a delicate area,” The Washington Post quoted a Pakistani military official, as saying.

Though Islamabad has been sharing intelligence inputs facilitating the CIA operated drone strikes in the ungoverned tribal regions along the Afghan border, a senior ISI official complained that the Obama Administration still remains suspicious of its links with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

During a recent briefing in Islamabad, a senior ISI official said the US believes that Pakistan is ‘incapable’ of safeguarding its nuclear arsenals from the threats posed by the extremist groups operating from the terror ‘hot beds’ situated in the tribal regions.

“The United States sees Pakistan as incapable of guaranteeing the security of its nuclear arsenal, irrationally obsessed with the threat from India and generally not serious about either democracy or fighting terrorists,” he said.

On the other hand, US officials believe that Islamabad is concerned over the US’ pull out from Afghanistan, as they fear that America’s withdrawal would give Afghan President Hamid Karzai a free hand to reconcile with the Taliban without even consulting Islamabad.

“They (Pakistan) don’t believe we don’t know what Karzai is doing.They’re afraid that we’re going to cut a peace deal without them. We’ve told them that as soon as we know, they’ll know,” the newspaper quoted a US State Department official, as saying.

Pakistan is of the view that it would need allies among the Pashtun tribes in Afghanistan to maintain its influence and protect its western border from India’s influence. (ANI)