By IANS
New York : Two top US intelligence officials made a secret visit to Pakistan this month to seek greater latitude for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to operate in the tribal areas where Al Qaeda and other militant groups are active, but were rebuffed by President Pervez Musharraf, the New York Times reported Sunday.
Musharraf also rejected an expansion of US presence in his country through joint operations with Pakistani forces.
The daily, quoting unnamed sources in the US and Pakistan, said Washington and Islamabad were now discussing other joint efforts, such as increased use of armed Predator surveillance aircraft over the tribal areas, and identifying ways the US can speed intelligence information to Pakistani security forces.
The unannounced Jan 9 meeting with Musharraf involved US Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden.
On the Pakistani side, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani as well as the head of Pakistan’s military intelligence agency ISI, Lt. Gen. Nadeem Taj, were present at the meeting, the US daily reported.
Two days after the meeting, Musharraf said US troops crossing into Pakistan to hunt Al Qaeda terrorists would be regarded as invaders.
The US officials’ visit was prompted by Washington’s concerns about Al Qaeda and the Taliban increasing their efforts to destabilize Pakistan, the Times said.
The newspaper also quoted a senior US official as saying the purpose of the mission “was to convince Musharraf that time is ticking away” and that increased attacks on Pakistan would ultimately undermine his hold on power.
According to other officials, recent intelligence indicates that Al Qaeda was operating in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan with impunity akin to that of the days before the 9/11 attacks on World Trade Centre in New York.
The main difference of perception in Washington and Islamabad seems to be over dealing with Al Qaeda.
Despite the insistence of the Bush administration that the US and Pakistan have a common goal in fighting Al Qaeda, Musharraf has made clear in public proclamations that it is far from his first priority.
At the just concluded World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Musharraf said that the 100,000 Pakistani troops stationed along the border were hunting for Taliban extremists and “miscreants”, but he also said there was no particular effort being put into the search for Qaeda fighters.
In Washington, however, the Bush administration has said that fighting terrorists, chiefly Al Qaeda, is the primary purpose of the $10 billion in US aid given to Pakistan, mostly for reimbursements for the cost of patrolling the tribal areas.
While officials confirmed some details of the secret Jan 9 discussions, much remains unknown about the continuing dialogue between Islamabad and Washington, the Times said.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Mahmud Ali Durrani told the Times that the meetings were about “improving coordination, discussing the war on terror, and filling the gaps between intelligence and operations”, but he declined to provide details.
On Thursday, Defence Secretary Robert M. Gates said the US was willing to send combat troops to Pakistan to conduct joint operations against Al Qaeda and other militants if the Pakistani government asked for American help.
Gates conceded, however, that that Pakistan had not requested US assistance, and that any American troops sent to Pakistan would likely be assigned solely to train Pakistani forces.
The top US commander in the region, Adm. William J. Fallon, visited Pakistan last Tuesday to discuss counterterrorism issues with senior Pakistani officials, including General Kayani.