The Obama administration has sharply raised the tempo of criticism of Pakistan and served it with an ultimatum, saying that unless it took action against the Haqqani network that, according to the American perception, operates from North Waziristan, the US will itself do so. Besides, the ISI has been accused of maintaining links with the Haqqani militants, even encouraging certain terrorist groups to launch attacks against the US forces in Afghanistan and told to cut off those 'links. Both Defence Secretary Panetta and US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Mullen have been vying with each other in the outburst of these attacks. ISI chief General Pasha quietly went to Washington and met CIA chief General Petraeus and some top White House officials to discuss the situation. At the same time, Interior Minister Malik ruled out the possibility of the presence of the so-called Haqqani network in Pakistan and, in a meeting with FBI chief Muller, asked him to give credible evidence of its presence so that Pakistan could move against it. With the Afghan resistance having stepped up attacks against the occupation forces of their country, the Americans seem to have lost their nerves. The US is under great pressure from the public at home, the beleaguered troops in Afghanistan and even greater pressure from the virtual economic insolvency to withdraw. However, as a superpower, possessing the mightiest war machine in the world, it does not want to be seen to have retreated in defeat; it must maintain the faade of a military mission brought to a successful end. But exactly the reverse appears to be happening. The resistance, of late, has twice broken the security cordon of the most guarded places in Kabul the US embassy and ISAF headquarters and later the house of Burhanuddin Rabbani also located nearby and struck with a vengeance. Former President Rabbani became the target because of his efforts to wean away pliant, the good Taliban, from the bad Taliban to negotiate the terms of withdrawal with the Americans. That is precisely the US agenda and in clash with the main condition of the Taliban leadership 'first vacate the aggression and then talk of talking. In a threatening scenario like this, there should be no question for Islamabad to buckle under; rather, it should demonstrate the courage of conviction to tell the world the motive behind the malicious verbal campaign of the US. Our leadership, both civilian and military, should speak openly before the public, as the Americans are doing, and rebut these baseless charges, telling the US that Pakistan has heard enough of its sermons and reprimands and warn it of serious consequences if it dares violate its territorial sovereignty. The practice of secret responses serves the interest of American propaganda. There is dire need to counter the mischief.