WASHINGTON: Top US lawmakers have pressed Secretary of State Mrs
Hillary Clinton to put the militant Haqqani network on the terror
blacklist immediately, citing testimonies by officials that the outfit
was an “arm” of the Pakistan’s military Intelligence.
“I
request that the State Department list the network as a foreign
terrorism organisation”, said Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman
Ms Dianne Feinstein.
Ms Feinstein in a statement said that the
Haqqani network “met all the standards of the blacklist as it has been
conducting attacks against US targets and personnel in Afghanistan and
“poses a continuing threat to American, Afghan and allied personnel and
interests”.
Another leading Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the
Senate Armed Services Committee demanded at a Congressional hearing why
was there an inordinate delay in designating the network as a terrorist
organisation.
“....This step is long overdue,” Mr Levin said.
“I
hope the State Department will move quickly to designate the Haqqanis’
as a foreign terrorist organisation,” Mr Levin said as he and other
lawmakers urged defence secretary, Mr Leon Panetta, and Admiral Mike
Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to take steps to ensure
that the Haqqani network is not able to attack Americans.
Foremost
is the threat posed by the militant extremists launching attacks
against Afghan and coalition forces from sanctuaries in Pakistan,
particularly the Haqqani group in north Waziristan and the Afghan
Taliban shura in Quetta, he said.
The sharp comments from the
lawmakers came after US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen charged that
the Haqqani network “acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan’s military
Intelligence agency”. Adm. Mullen, appearing for the last time in front
of the committee before his retirement at the end of the month said:
“Pakistan is exporting violence to Afghanistan”.
He said
Pakistan’s ISI supported the Haqqani insurgents who planned and
executed the attack on the US Embassy and other strikes in Afghanistan.
In doing so, Adm. Mullen said, the agency is jeopardising Pakistan’s
relations with the USA and Afghanistan.
The Admiral’s tough
language follows a series of stern warning from top US officials on
Pakistan’s inaction over the Haqqani network, raising the possibility
of unilateral American action.
Defence secretary Mr Leon
Panetta appearing at the same hearing expressed frustration over
Haqqani sanctuaries in Pakistan and renewed a vow that the USA would
safeguard its troops.
Mr Levin, the Chairman of the Committee
said that the ability of the network to launch attacks over the border
from Pakistan was unacceptable. The top Republican on the committee,
Senator John McCain called for slowing down the withdrawal of troops
from Afghanistan to maintain the advantage of the surge of troops last
year. The Senator also said that the assassination of former Afghan
President Burhanuddin Rabbani showed that Taliban had no interest in
reconciliation. Online
