"No more military operations": General Kayani rules out American demands

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COAS General Kayani

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s military on Thursday hinted that it had no plans to launch a military operation in an obvious reference that the much-debated North Waziristan operation was not on the cards. During his brief interaction with the journalists, Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani almost stopped short of ‘warning’ Afghanistan that any future aggression from the Afghan side would be paid in the same coin. “We have made adequate arrangements to avert incursions from Afghan side into Pakistani areas.” Kayani spoke after a ceremony held in connection with Saudi-Pak joint military exercise Samsaam IV at Mangla Cantonment, a few kilometres from Jehlum, one of Pakistan’s largest cantonment areas. Saudi Military Chief General Khalid bin Bander accompanied General Kayani. “Military operation is not a solution to every problem. We’re done with those operations where we had to. Now it’s the duty of civilian government to establish its writ and run the affairs”, Kayani said. His comments are largely seen in context with the Pak-USZ row that had spurred to a wider degree of hostility, lately, against the USZ demand to Pakistan for taking on terrorist sanctuaries, particularly the Haqqani Network, in NWA. “Military cannot permanently stay at any given area. The civilian government has to take the charge, after all,” he said.

Following the attacks on the NATO headquarters and USZ Embassy in Kabul, the USZ former Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee Admiral Mike Mullen had accused Haqqani Network of planting these attacks saying Haqqanis were “veritable arm of ISI.” The Pak-USZ hostility mounted to culmination after Burhanuddin Rabbani, pro-America stooge head of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council charade, was killed in a suicide attack in Kabul. Stooge Afghan President Hamid Karzai and intelligence officials claim having concrete evidences on Pakistan’s premier spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) involvement in Rabbani’s killing. Afghanistan on Tuesday had accused Pakistan of not cooperating on Rabbani’s murder. “Today we received a message from the embassy of Pakistan saying that since this issue has arisen in media, we cannot cooperate and we apologise for that,” Mohammad Yasin Zia, Afghanistan’s Deputy Head of the National Directorate of Security had told AFP. Pakistan rejected these charges as ‘unfounded and incorrect’ Speaking with this scribe from Kabul, Zia alleged again on Thursday that Pakistan was “very non-operative on hunting down Rabbani killers.” Despite Pakistan’s Foreign Office denied his previous allegation, Yasin Zia said Afghan authorities were yet to hear from ISI.

When asked to comment on more or less similar scenario in Afghanistan where policy formulation rested with the Pentagon and Karzai administration, according to many, was ineffective or ceremonial, an irritated Zia said, “It’s a different thing, don’t drag me into it.” Pakistan’s implied warnings to Afghanistan are deciphered as being in sequel to this latest spate of tension. In a meeting with the USZ Central Command chief General James Mattis, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani had reportedly demanded of the USZ and NATO to get cross-border incursions stopped from Afghan side. Pakistan Army says that Haqqani Network is based in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nuristan provinces, the areas that oversaw repeated attacks in Pakistan’s Chitral and Upper Dir from Afghan militants. The international community and the USZ do not buy this argument alleging that Haqqanis have safe havens in NWA. The other day, Pakistan’s former diplomat hailing from Waziristan Ambassador Rustam Shah Mohmand had told this paper, if Haqqanis were based in NWA, the USZ should have attacked them with drone-hits “instead of puling Pakistan’s leg” Particularly intriguing was the way General Kayani spoke high about Saudi Arabia on Thursday. “Saudi Arabia has a very important role in Afghanistan,” he said referring to the oil rich country’s influence in this region. In another meaningful signal seemingly relayed to Washington, he also mentioned of China saying that next military exercises would be Sino-Pak.

( The Nation )

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