Pakistan refuses US demands to do more on terror

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Pakistan on Thursday closed ranks against increasing American pressure for action against the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, refusing to be pressured into doing more in the war on terror.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani brought together opposition leaders, members of his fragile coalition and military commanders in a rare 'all-party conference' designed to forge unity in the latest showdown with Washington.

The participants were summoned in the wake of stinging rebukes accusing Pakistan of involvement in recent attacks on the US embassy in Kabul and a NATO base in Afghanistan and demands that the government cut ties with the Haqqanis.

"American statements shocked us, and negate our sacrifices and successes in the ongoing war against terror," Gilani told the gathering in opening remarks.

"We should give up talking about assumptions for the sake of meaningful negotiations. Pakistan cannot be pressurised to do more. Our national interests should be respected. Our doors are open for dialogue," Gilani said.

Islamabad officially denies any support for Haqqani attacks in Afghanistan, but has nurtured Pashtun warlords for decades as means of influencing events across the border and offsetting the might of arch-rival India.

Washington is now conducting a final review on whether to blacklist the network linked to Pakistani intelligence as a terror group, which risks then exposing Islamabad to economic sanctions.

The outgoing top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, accused Pakistan of exporting violent extremism to Afghanistan and called the Haqqani network a 'veritable arm' of its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

American officials want Pakistan to launch an offensive against the Haqqanis, but the military says it is too over-stretched fighting local Taliban to open a new front against a US enemy that does not pose a threat to Pakistan.

Despite growing unease in Pakistan, analysts say the conference will seek to defuse tensions if rally behind the military, which in Pakistan is the traditional arbiter of foreign policy.