Washington, Mar 16: Top US lawmakers and Pentagon voiced concern over Pakistan allowing "poisonous snakes" to exist in its own backyward during the war on terror and said they are crossing the border and biting its "neighbours."
Concerned over Pakistan's less than enthusiastic response towards the fight agaisnt terror, they warned that sooner or later the "poisonous snakes" will turn around and cause problems to the country itself if they are given sanctuary.
"There is, I think, a growing recognition that you cannot allow poisonous snakes to have a nest in your backyard, even if they just bite the neighbour's kids, because sooner or later they're going to turn around and cause problems in your backyard," General David Petraeus, Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan told lawmakers.
"I think that sadly has proven to be the case,” he underlined at a Congressional hearing. Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, said it was urgent to find ways to impress upon Pakistan that "their backyard is a backyard where snakes are permitted to continue to exist".
"And those snakes are crossing the border."
Michele Flournoy, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, said the Obama adminstration was "having extremely candid conversations about our expectations of what we would like to see our Pakistani partners do in areas like North Waziristan and elsewhere."
"We are also continuing to apply as much pressure as we can both from the Afghan side of the border and also in terms of pressure on Al Qaida senior leadership in the border regions," Flournoy said.
Petraeus and Flournoy told Senators at the hearing on the presence of terrorist safe heavens, to which the lawmakers expressed their grave concerns.
"You both have made reference to Pakistan and the safe havens which exist there, with the Pakistan government basically looking the other way in two key areas, that's North Waziristan and down in Quetta, where they know where those people are who are crossing the border and terrorizing Afghan citizens, attacking us, attacking Afghan forces, coalition forces," Levin said.
Pakistan may be looking the other way, "but I don't think we can look the other way about what they are not doing in those areas," he said.
"So I would ask you both, what, if anything more, can we do to persuade the Pakistanis to be the hammer, which I think you made indirect reference to, General Petraeus, so that when those forces cross the border, we can be the anvil?” Levin asked.
Petraeus said there is considerable pressure on Al Qaida and on the Haqqani network in North Waziristan.
The recent Pakistan Army's campaign there has disrupted significantly the activities of those groups.
"Additional steps must be taken to end the safe havens that insurgents use in Pakistan which impact on Afghanistan security," Levin said.
Though Pakistan deserves praise for some steps it has taken to fight Al Qaida and Taliban groups on the Pakistani side of the border, Senator John McCain said effective way needs to end Pakistan's support for terrorist groups that target US and its partners. PTI
