• Allegation on ISI of having link with Haqqani network is “absurd”: Ausaf
• US’s propaganda against Pakistan’s ISI of “illogical”: Abbas Mahkari
• The militarymen (fauj wale) are responsible to push Pakistan at the brink of destruction: Ayaz Amir

Allegation on ISI of having link with Haqqani network is “absurd”: Ausaf

Editorial, September 24, 2011
Most of the Urdu newspapers from Pakistan have termed US’s revelations of a nexus between Haqqani network and Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI as hypothetical. The Ausaf Urdu daily quotes Admiral McMullen as saying that “the ISI is using Haqqani network for its proxy war in Afghanistan and it must shun its strategy of proxy war.”

The Daily in its editorial writes that the allegation on ISI of having link with Haqqani network is “absurd”. The Daily also writes that “for Pakistani forces and ISI nothing is as important as Kashmir. If the ISI had to continue its proxy war in the changed circumstances, Kashmir could have been its first priority. But the Indian top military officials’ admissions that gun’s role is diminishing in Kashmir and political movement is gaining strength there should be a matter of satisfaction for Americans.”
http://www.dailyausaf.com/news/id/66871/

US’s propaganda against Pakistan’s ISI of “illogical”: Abbas Mahkari

Opinion Column, Jang, September 25, 2011

Columnist Abbas Mahkari in an opinion column in Jang Urdu Daily has also termed US’s propaganda against Pakistan’s ISI of having links with Haqqani network as “illogical”. He says that “the US is working on an agenda to malign Pakistan and its armed forces.” He writes that the statements about presence of Haqqani network, Quetta Shura, LeT and other extremist groups and their “internal and external links” are hypothesis only. “Pakistan has right to reject the dictations of US and its allies,” Mahkari asserts.
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/sep2011-daily/25-09-2011/col3.htm

The militarymen (fauj wale) are responsible to push Pakistan at the brink of destruction: Ayaz Amir

Opinion Column, Jang, September 25, 2011

In an opinion column Ayaz Amir finds genesis of Pakistan’s ongoing terrorism in “first Afghan Jihad and that thinking”. He states that the thinking of Afghan Jihad has pushed Pakistan into quagmire of “madness” and there is no way in sight to come out from there. “This situation can only change when Pakistani military will change its compass (qibla),” he asserts. He says that Pakistani civilian government cannot absolve itself for challenges that Pakistan faces today but “the militarymen ( fauj wale) are responsible to push Pakistan at the brink of distruction.” He furtheer writes that the military still sees a “threat emanating from East” and is “restless to play a role in Afghanistan.” He asks, “how does it matter to us whether a Tajik, an Uzbek or a Pakhtoon becomes President of Afghanistan? Why can’t we concentrate on our problems?” He asserts further, “we face problem from within but our policy planers are searching roots of these problems in external countries.” He suggests that “for the sake of Pakistan’s future we should keep ourselves away from Afghanistan.”

As regards the US’s allegation on ISI’s links with Haqani network, Amir writes that if it was just an allegation and it had no merit “ISI’s media cell should have tried to eliminate that perception. But we let the issue linger to the extent that now it has become the biggest problem between the GHQ and Pentagon.” He stops short of stating that the ISI has links with the Haqqani network. But asserts that we need to analyze the issue with justice and should ask ourselves whether North Waziristan is a shelter for Taliban and whether the Haqqanis use the place as their safe haven?

In his concluding remarks he writes that whether it is our Foreign Policy issues or challenges that face today’s Pakistan we are not used to visualize it realistically. If we want to become a “normal nation” we should shun our self created doubts.
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/sep2011-daily/25-09-2011/col11.htm