US urges Pakistan to take stringent measures against the Haqqani network; US Department of Defence and ISAF acknowledge Lashkar-e Taiba’s role in assisting the Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan;
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    • The United States urged Pakistan to take stringent measures against the Haqqani network which is noted to have links with the Al Qaeda and is active near the Af Pak border. This was stated by Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee in Kabul on July 11. Levin further noted that the Haqqani group would be added to the US terrorist blacklist as there is no possibility for the group to support peace in the region.1 In a related development, US Department of Defence stated that Lashkar-e Taiba is assisting the Taliban insurgents in their fight against the US forces in Afghanistan. A Pentagon report clearly stated that an arrested Taliban commander was “associated with the recent influx of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives into the Nangarhar province”.2

    Meanwhile, leader of the BNP (Balochistan National Front), Habib Jalib Baloch was shot dead by unknown assailants in Quetta on July 14. Baloch was a former Senator and his assassination led to large scale protests across Balochistan.3

    In other developments, the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan met in Islamabad where both countries pledged to “rebuild trust through dialogue”. Addressing a press conference after the meet, both Foreign Ministers noted that outstanding issues were discussed and the talks were quite “useful”.4

    In view of the Hillary Clinton’s visit to Pakistan, it was noted that economic issues especially water is going to dominate the agenda of the upcoming US-Pak Strategic Dialogue. Preparing for the Strategic Dialogue, the army has prioritized economic issues over security concerns.5

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