WASHINGTON - The top US military officer has voiced satisfaction over the resumption of senior level contacts with the Pakistani military as he pledged to rebuild trust with Pakistan.
“We want to rebuild the trust and confidence between our two militaries,” General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters travelling with him in South America, according to Pentagon.
Dempsey told reporters he has spoken with Kayani at least five times since the border incident. The Pakistanis, he said, want to reset the military-to-military relationship with the United States. This includes working the border issues with the Pakistanis and reopening the ground supply lines through Pakistan to Afghanistan, Dempsey said. He added that he believes the two militaries can discuss what must be done in the federally administered tribal areas to improve the situation in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some groups have taken root in the tribal areas that pose a threat to the national government and to neighbouring Afghanistan, the chairman explained.
Many officials believe the Pakistani military is doing about as much as it can, the Pentagon report by American Forces Press Service said. Pakistani leaders regard India as a threat, and most of their armed forces are facing India in the east. Until more troops are made available, the situation in the tribal areas probably will remain as it is, an official said, with many areas under government control and others like the Wild West.
US defence officials have been quick to point out that Pakistan has lost thousands of service members and thousands of citizens to the scourge of terrorism. “No one doubts the sacrifice or will of the Pakistanis - just the means they have,” one official said.
At the State Department, meanwhile, Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said President Barack Obama discussed the bilateral relationship when he met with PM Gilani in Seoul this week. “We – in terms of getting fully back on track, you know where we’ve been, which is to respect the parliamentary process which is continuing,” she said.