Pak military ‘hampered’ US embassy operations: WikiLeaks

ISLAMABAD - A secret cable sent by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad to the State Department in 2009 accuses Pakistan’s military and intelligence service of harassing embassy employees, sabotaging contracts and denying the purchase of protective gear.

According to a Washington Times report, the cable leaked by the whistle blowing web site WikiLeaks, says: “The military and intelligence establishment has taken steps since spring 2009 to hamper the operations of the embassy.

It further states: “Some of these problems have recently abated in response to our repeatedly raising them with the highest levels of the Pakistani government. However, we expect we will have to continue to push back against such impediments for the foreseeable future,” the Nation reports.

The cable lists some of Pakistan’s assaults on the embassy, including holding up the issuance of the visas needed for new embassy staff to enter Pakistan; denying import permits for the embassy to buy armored vehicles to protect staff; sabotaging a contract with the U.S. firm DynCorp to protect the U.S. personnel at the consulate in Peshawar, near the Afghan border; delaying U.S. shipments of gear to help Pakistani law enforcement; harassing” embassy personnel “by stopping and detaining their vehicles and refusing to let the U.S. acquire land for embassy expansion.

Asked by the newspaper to comment on the cable, a State Department official told The Washington Times that the situation had improved recently. (ANI)