With US stepping up its pressure on Pakistan to act against the ISI ‘supported and encouraged’ Haqqani terror network, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has hit out at the US warning it against crossing the ‘red lines’ and making it a ‘scapegoat’ for failed objectives.
Against the backdrop of US threats of unilateral action against the Haqqani network, blamed by Obama administration for a string of attacks in Afghanistan, Khar said Pakistan had some ‘red lines’ for its ties with the US.
"We have established red lines with them (the US). Those red lines have to be accepted and followed by every country.”
"If any established rules of engagement are broken, then all doors and options will be opened up," Khar told 'Aaj News' channel in response to a question about the possibility of the US sending troops into Pakistan. Khar's warning came as US Central Command chief Gen James Mattis arrived in Pakistan for talks with army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani aimed at easing tensions.
Mattis is also expected to press the Pakistani leadership to act against the Haqqani network.
Ties between Islamabad and Washington plunged to a new low after US officials stepped up accusations that the ISI was aiding the Haqqani network, blamed for an attack on the US Embassy in Kabul last week.
In her defence, Khar pointed to past US support for mujahideen groups when Afghanistan was occupied by the Soviet Union and said: "These challenges were not created by us...The connections and people being talked about, who funded them many years ago?"
"We will do whatever is in Pakistan's national interest. So we are saying if your objectives have not been achieved, don't make anyone the scapegoat for it. Don't level accusations or put the blame on them," she added.
While acknowledging that Pakistan-US ties were currently affected by problems, Khar said the US allegations had caused concern among Pakistanis.
"They have made a recrimination on the state of Pakistan. There is no question of the state of Pakistan being involved in any attack whatsoever. The state of Pakistan represents 180 million people who have suffered because of terrorism," she contended.
Khar said Pakistan is serious about resolving the problems with the US but insisted that diplomacy could not be conducted through the media and public comments. Kayani had yesterday said that the US charges were baseless and part of a ‘blame game’ detrimental to peace in Afghanistan.
Other Pakistani officials urged the US to present evidence to back up their allegations. The Haqqani network is based in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region along the Afghan border.
The group has historical ties to Pakistan's intelligence agencies that date back to the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
A senior Pentagon official had last night said in Washington that "information has become more available that these attacks (in Afghanistan) have been supported or encouraged by the ISI".