MALIK MUHAMMAD ASHRAF The leakage of the classified documents concerning US war effort in Afghanistan, at a time when the relations between US and Pakistan have attained new strategic heights and the latter has been showing strong commitment to the war on terror - also repeatedly acknowledged by the US administration - unravels the most sordid aspect of the alliance. There are elements within the US administration, who have their own agendas to promote by fomenting an ambience of mistrust and creating doubts about the credentials of an ally that has made unparalleled sacrifices in men and material in fighting the scourge of terrorism. Although the State Department and Pentagon have denounced the leakage of the unsifted classified information and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Ike Skelton, dubbed the leaked information as "outdated reports" and warned against judging Pakistan's conduct on the basis of these revelations but that is not enough in view of the seriousness of the allegations hurled at the ISI, the most prestigious intelligence outfit of Pakistan, which is making a great contribution to the fulfilment of the objectives of global war on terror. The US administration needs to put its house in order to scuttle the chances of such indiscretions by the elements within its ranks that have the potential of undermining the Pak-US collaboration. The war on terror has entered a very crucial stage and Pakistan occupies a pivotal position in furthering this effort, particularly in bringing stability to Afghanistan. Such unsubstantiated indictments of the Pakistani intelligence agency also generate anti-US reaction among Pakistani people, besides causing embarrassment to the government for its partnership with a country that does not even trust its ally. Pakistan has exhibited unfaltering commitment to the cause of war on terrorism and taken an unambiguous stance on the issue. Its Parliament has also unanimously adopted a resolution to quell extremism. Its army has successfully uprooted terrorists from their strongholds in Swat, Malakand and South Waziristan and conducted several operations along the Pak-Afghan border, losing thousand of men in the process, perhaps more than NATO casualties in Afghanistan. Thousands of civilians have fallen victims to drone attack in the tribal region and suicide attacks in the Pakistani cities. Pakistan's economy has also been severely jolted by the war on terror. Why Pakistan has paid such a heavy price? To endure the humiliation of being dubbed as a double dealer Certainly not. The allegations against ISI strongly belie logic. If, as alleged, ISI was supporting Taliban against the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan then why would the Taliban organise suicide attacks against military targets within Pakistan, the law enforcing agencies and the innocent citizens of Pakistan? Why would any government connive with such elements against its own people and the interests of the country? Only fools could give credence to the outlandish ideas and hypothesis bandied around by the WikiLeaks. One is familiar with US leaders sporadically repeating their rhetoric of "do more" or some times expressing its suspicions about the presence of Al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership in Pakistan, ostensibly for domestic reasons, but they have officially refrained from accusing Pakistan of supporting the Taliban against the NATO forces in Afghanistan. In the backdrop of the leaked reports, echoes of revisiting US Afghan policy and cooperation with Pakistan are already in the air, and the crescendo is likely to reach the highest pitch with the western media trying to create mountain out of a molehill, as has been the case even in the past. However, it is hoped that such machinations and manoeuvrings will not be allowed to impair Pak-US relations or jeopardise the global war on terror. Both sides will stick to their avowed goal of taking the war on terror to its logical conclusion. The writer is a freelance columnist.