DG ISI postpones US visit

[Imran Khan]

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DG ISI postpones US visit

Updated 42 minutes ago





ISLAMABAD: Director General ISI, Lt. General Zaheer-ul-Islam has postponed a visit to the United States due to "pressing commitments", a military spokesman said Monday.



The postponement comes amid renewed Pakistani-US tensions over Pakistan's six-month blockade on NATO supplies into Afghanistan and last week's sentencing of a Pakistani doctor hired by the CIA to help find Osama bin Laden.


DG ISI postpones US visit - thenews.com.pk

[lem34]

Pakistan spymaster postpones US visit: Islamabad

By Jennie Matthew (AFP) – 4 hours ago

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's chief spymaster on Monday postponed a visit to the United States in the latest sign of tensions between the two allies struggling to get their relationship back on track.

Pakistan and the United States have been at loggerheads over Pakistan's six-month blockade on NATO supplies for Afghanistan and last week's sentencing of a Pakistani doctor hired by the CIA to help find Osama bin Laden.

While intelligence cooperation has continued, Lieutenant General Zaheer ul Islam's decision not to accept a tentative invitation from CIA director David Petraeus this month was unlikely to be viewed favourably by all in Washington.

In a short text message sent to reporters, the Pakistani military said only that the visit by the Inter-Services Intelligence director general had been "postponed due to his pressing commitments here".

"There is no other reason of postponing the visit," a spokesman said.

Frustrations have been growing in Pakistan and the United States on how to break the impasse over the NATO supply lines, US drone strikes on Pakistani soil and last week's conviction of treason for Shakeel Afridi.

Relations went into free fall last year, first when a CIA contractor shot dead two Pakistanis, then over the US raid that killed bin Laden on May 2, and lastly over US air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.

After the air strikes, Pakistan shut its Afghan border to NATO supplies and agreed to reset relations on condition that Washington apologise for the soldiers' deaths and end drone attacks.

But five US drone strikes have been reported since a NATO summit in Chicago last week failed to secure a deal on resuming the supply lines, the most dramatic increase in attacks since parliament demanded in March that they stop.

Two attacks on Monday alone killed at least nine militants in North Waziristan, Pakistan's premier hub of Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Afghan insurgents where Islamabad has resisted US pressure for a major ground offensive.

On Sunday, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta vowed not to let the United States be "gouged" by Pakistan on the price it charges for resuming overland deliveries of American military supplies to Afghanistan.

He also lambasted a tribal court's decision to sentence government surgeon Afridi to 33 years in prison for helping the CIA track down bin Laden

"What they have done here does not help in the effort to try to reestablish a relationship between the United States and Pakistan," he said.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has voted to cut US aid to Pakistan by a symbolic $33 million, a sign of growing frustration with Pakistan.

On Monday, Afridi's elder brother called on Pakistan's top judge to intervene directly to allow a swift appeal, saying his brother was innocent.

The family say the appeal process is being held up because the authorities have yet to release a copy of the conviction.

"My brother is not a traitor, he is a patriot. The sentence is one sided. We will file an appeal against this illegal verdict," Jamil Afridi told AFP.

[BATMAN]

Now trouble starts with the new chief as well.

[dk33]

Well, if you think about it, given the state of US-Pakistan relations, what is there to talk about?

And if a breakthrough does come about in the near future, all the speculation will be that the 'DG ISI agreed to reopen the NATO supply lines during his US visit', and the PPP will probably jump on that bandwagon to deflect pressure on it as well.

Better to limit military to military contacts at the higher level till the issues are resolved by the GoP - Kayani has made clear that the decision to reopen Supply Lines is with Parliament.

[Safriz]

There was nothing for ISI cheif in visiting USA...
Probabaly would have got similar treatment as Zardari....Treated like an outcast despite being Invited....and the news shown on every major news channel of the world...
This old dawg anticipated the same trick being played on him and cancelled the visit...
First good decision in the office....Great start,keep it up Mr.ISI.

[dk33]

US strategy of "congagement" towards Pakistan bears new fruit

Tags: Politics, World, Commentary, U.S.-Pakistani relations
Boris Volkhonsky
May 29, 2012 16:37 Moscow Time

David Petraeus. Photo: EPA

In the latest (but, obviously, not the last) sign of tension between the U.S. and Pakistan, on Monday the newly-appointed head of the most powerful branch of Pakistani secret service the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Zaheer ul-Islam postponed his planned visit to the U.S. where he was expected to meet his counterpart, the former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan and presently the CIA director General David Petraeus.

As reported by Agence France Presse, in a short statement sent to reporters by a text message, a military spokesman said that the visit by General Zaheer ul-Islam, to the United States “had been postponed due to his pressing commitments in Pakistan”, adding that “There were no other reasons for postponing the visit.”

In fact, the very wording of "pressing commitments" bears striking resemblance to the reasons NATO's General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen's stated when he refused to meet Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari during NATO’s summit in Chicago on May 20-21. The appointment had been made, but later Rasmussen canceled the meeting citing "conflicting schedules".

To add insult to injury, the overall treatment of Pakistani president in Chicago was overtly humiliating. U.S. President Barack Obama followed suit and refused to have a face-to-face meeting with Zardari, publicly courting Afghan President Hamid Karzai and praising Central Asian countries for their assistance in the U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan. Zardari had no chice but to swallow humiliation.

But the head of the most powerful agency in Pakistan, the ISI, is a completely different story. His refusal to come to the U.S. on a prescheduled visit could have even farther-reaching consequences than all the other moves in the exchange of snubs and jabs between the one-time closest allies.

It should be remembered that the present state of U.S. – Pakistani relationship is probably the worst ever. But this is not something that came about in their relations has a long history. But today the most urgent objective for the U.S. and NATO in their relationship with Pakistan is to reopen the southern route of supplies to the coalition forces in Afghanistan which was blocked by Pakistan after the airstrike in November last year killed 24 Pakistani servicemen.

To achieve this objective, the U.S. has to decide what approach – that of a carrot or a stick – should be used in order to persuade Pakistan to restore the cooperative nature of its relations with the "older brother". This dilemma has even led to the creation of a special term defining the U.S. strategy in its relationship with Pakistan – "congagement", which combines elements of “containment” and “engagement”.

But the recent exchange of snubs has shown that neither party is prepared to make the necessary steps towards reconciliation. The U.S. has been firm in its refusal to apologize for the November incident. Pakistan, in turn, is demanding sky-high prices for the transit of NATO trucks and containers via its territory.

The latest aggravation in the relationship came several days ago when a Pakistani court sentenced doctor Shakil Afridi to 33 years in prison on charges of treason. He was found guilty of assisting the CIA in its hunt for Osama bin Laden which led to the latter's extermination in May 2011. In response, the U.S. cut its financial aid to Pakistan by $33 million a year (one million for each year of Afridi's sentence).

It should be further noted that unlike the weak President Zardari, who could be regarded as an interim figure, the head of the ISI is one of the most powerful figures in Pakistan, who, having started his tenure just a couple of months ago, is likely to remain in power for at least three to four years from now. At the time of his appointment, U.S. officials expressed hope that the new head of ISI will help restore the cooperation between the two countries.

But it seems that the stubbornness on both sides has lead to a situation where the relationship is not likely to come out of the deadlock it is presently in. So, the general impression among both the U.S. and Pakistani diplomatic circles is that the U.S. has already written off Pakistan as its ally in the region. The aborted visit of the newly appointed ISI chief to the U.S. and the cancelled meeting with General Petraeus is just a reflection of this grim reality.

Boris Volkhonsky, senior research fellow, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies

US strategy of "congagement" towards Pakistan bears new fruit: Voice of Russia

[lem34]

[B][SIZE=3]
. So, the general impression among both the U.S. and Pakistani diplomatic circles is that the U.S. has already written off Pakistan as its ally in the region. The aborted visit of the newly appointed ISI chief to the U.S. and the cancelled meeting with General Petraeus is just a reflection of this grim reality.

Boris Volkhonsky, senior research fellow, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies

US strategy of "congagement" towards Pakistan bears new fruit: Voice of Russia

Some would say America has never seen or treated Pakistan as an ally. It is only some Pakistanis who have had good but misplaced intentions that ever thought that America could be its ally.

It is better at least this way all parties know where we stand. It is wrong to think that American aid will save us. We need to sort out our country by rooting out corruption and taxing the rich. We have been blessed with natural resources including a population near 200 million we need more effective governance

[Farah Sohail]

Good job Gen Zaheer.. There was no need to go there and get insulted.. Good to know tht atleast you have some dignity unlike Zardari, who knew how he would be treated at Chicago, and still went there..Its good to see our leaders, saying no to America... Its a refreshing change, from the slavish attitude of the past....Also, if Nato supplies have to be reopened , then atleast I would want tht they get opened, AFTER our budget has been passed...so tht theres no wrong impression, even to the Americans, tht we opened the supplies due to our budgetary constraints, and tht they can blackmail us, in future with aid.. There should be no consideration, of aid, in supplies to be reopened.. Once our budget is passed, later we can open supplies, on our own terms and conditions,.. Once our conditions are met, then if we open supplies, after budget, then it wouldnt look so bad..and we can say tht we are not dependent on u for our budget, as u had the wrong impression, and now tht our budget is passed, so we have no compulsion or hurry, so now u will get ur supplies reopened only if u accept our conditions.....

[clmeta]

And you've been blessed with a very good neighbor.
And the neighbors should resolved their issues and march towards development.

Some would say America has never seen or treated Pakistan as an ally. It is only some Pakistanis who have had good but misplaced intentions that ever thought that America could be its ally.

It is better at least this way all parties know where we stand. It is wrong to think that American aid will save us. We need to sort out our country by rooting out corruption and taxing the rich. We have been blessed with natural resources including a population near 200 million we need more effective governance

[F.O.X]

Our New Chief is a Good guy who knows how to hold up His Country's Pride , Unlike our Politicians. He will fare well in the Upcomming Challenges.

[Farah Sohail]

Our New Chief is a Good guy who knows how to hold up His Country's Pride , Unlike our Politicians. He will fare well in the Upcomming Challenges.

I think, even Lt Gen Shuja Pasha was a good one....

[batmannow]

he is not there because of this?
During two rounds of meetings with Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi in Islamabad the president proposed establishment of trans-border economic zones for shared development and prosperity of Gilgit-Baltistan and western regions of China. He also called for setting up an umbrella corporation in the energy sector called “Pakistan-China power corporation” which should include specialists and entities from all the fields.
The President said Pakistan is keen to translate its traditional equation with china into economic terms and attaches great importance to enhancing economic and trade linkages with China. Terming the conclusion of bilateral currency swap agreement a major development between the two countries, the president said I.C.B.C’s decision to open its branches in Pakistan is another positive development. He expressed the hope that national bank of Pakistan would also be able to open its branch in China soon.
The president said Pakistan and China have a great role to play in promoting regional stability and development. He said trilateral dialogue recently initiated by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan offered new opportunities for enhancing mutual cooperation. The Chinese foreign minister assured his country's firm commitment and support in safeguarding Pakistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
www.ptvworldnews.com
in his meeting with, hina rabbani khar, hounrable FM, told the media that, he will be meeting, with COAS, gen.kiyani tomarow, also said, that , he is going to meet, many others???
guys, i guss, we are heading towards, another U-TRUN, rightly!
the best thing , in all his visit to islamabad, is! he didnt mentioned a single word, about NATO!

[Farah Sohail]

he is not there because of this?
During two rounds of meetings with Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi in Islamabad the president proposed establishment of trans-border economic zones for shared development and prosperity of Gilgit-Baltistan and western regions of China. He also called for setting up an umbrella corporation in the energy sector called “Pakistan-China power corporation” which should include specialists and entities from all the fields.
The President said Pakistan is keen to translate its traditional equation with china into economic terms and attaches great importance to enhancing economic and trade linkages with China. Terming the conclusion of bilateral currency swap agreement a major development between the two countries, the president said I.C.B.C’s decision to open its branches in Pakistan is another positive development. He expressed the hope that national bank of Pakistan would also be able to open its branch in China soon.
The president said Pakistan and China have a great role to play in promoting regional stability and development. He said trilateral dialogue recently initiated by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan offered new opportunities for enhancing mutual cooperation. The Chinese foreign minister assured his country's firm commitment and support in safeguarding Pakistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
www.ptvworldnews.com
in his meeting with, hina rabbani khar, hounrable FM, told the media that, he will be meeting, with COAS, gen.kiyani tomarow, also said, that , he is going to meet, many others???
guys, i guss, we are heading towards, another U-TRUN, rightly!
the best thing , in all his visit to islamabad, is! he didnt mentioned a single word, about NATO!

@bold.. What do u mean?We are going towards u turn on what?

[batmannow]

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@bold.. What do u mean?We are going towards u turn on what?

Read again & again! & think again & again, let see what, comes out of your mind?
There are many ideas floating, these days! On the fourm, many of our mates, are suggesting that, china will advise pakistan to open , NATO supplies, bt few peoples , like me, see the other way , around.
TAIWAN is still a huge , & nasty problem ,between CHINA & US, & we have Allways , supported our , old & real friend.
& because of this visit, balAnce between world powers is going to establish, that why, our Chief. Of. Spies, doesn't need to go to US?

Chinese FM calls on President Zardari - thenews.com.pk