By IANS,
Islamabad : The US-Pakistan ties have plunged to a new low following an accusation that ISI supported the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, said a Pakistani daily Tuesday.
The News International editorially said: “This time round, there is concern about the implications of the war of words not just among government circles, but also among the wider public which is anxious that the Afghan war is coming to their side of the border.”
“The rhetoric is heated and the subsequent fears are understandable. After all, all of a sudden the Americans are openly talking about suspicions they have harboured for years and at an extremely senior level.”
US military commanders have accused Pakistan’s spy agency ISI of supporting the Haqqani network for carrying out two attacks on the US embassy in Kabul and the US military base in Afghanistan’s Wadak province this month.
The chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen Sep 22 called the Haqqani network a “veritable arm” of ISI, a charge denied by Pakistan.
US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta threatened to take unilateral action against the Haqqani network inside Pakistan if the authorities there failed to do so.
The editorial said: “The new accusatory terminology is jarring and bares naked the chasm that has opened up between the troubled allies.”
“…the seriousness of the crisis was also reflected by the extraordinary meeting of top army commanders held Sunday.”
It noted that ties between Pakistan and the United States have “plunged to a new low – yet again”.
The editorial went on to say that the country’s top army commanders “agree on the need to de-escalate the situation and believe the cost-benefit analysis reveals confrontation will not reap benefits for either side”.
Stating that both sides need to de-escalate rhetoric, it said: “Complex problems require complex solutions, not simple black and white answers…There is need to focus on encouraging continuity and predictability in bilateral relations between Pakistan and the US and expanding the range of ties to make the relationship a stable, instead of a turbulent one.”