Admiral Mike Mullen, outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently told Congress that the Haqqani Network, a guerrilla group accused of hitting the US embassy in Kabul, is an “arm” of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) immediately suggested that if the US military wanted to attack Pakistan, it would have support on the Hill.
The astonishing talk of US military action against its Pakistani ally has died down a bit, but it was noticed in the region. On Saturday, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan pledged that if the US did go to war against Pakistan, Afghanistan would take the side of Islamabad.
The film clip can be seen here.
It has long been apparent that Karzai, a putative American ally, has some sort of mental problem. He has been known to rant that he made a mistake in allying with the US against the Taliban, and should have backed the latter. Last year he told astonished visiting US congressmen that if the US pressured him too much, he would join the Taliban directly.
It would sort of be as though Prime Minister David Cameron, an ally of the US, should occasionally threaten to join al-Qaeda.
But then sometimes he praises the US and lambastes Pakistan for supporting Taliban
One of the big problems with the ‘counter-insurgency’ program of Gen. David Petraeus in Afghanistan is that counter-insurgency requires a reliable local partner. But the US only has Hamid Karzai, who stole his last presidential election and who micro-manages Kabul while letting much of the country go to hell, and he has now pledged a defense pact with Pakistan against his US ally.
It makes a person angry about the idea of US troops losing their lives to defend and stand up the Karzai government.
Below is a transcript of the relevant part of the Karzai interview on Geo, the Pakistani satellite channel, courtesy the USG Open Source Center:
‘ President Kazai Says Afghanistan To Stand by Pakistan in Case of Foreign Attack
Words and sentences in double slantlines in English
Geo News TV
Saturday, October 22, 2011 …
Document Type: OSC Translated Text…Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of an attack by India, the United States or any country. Talking to senior anchor person of Geo News, he said no country can give dictation to Afghans against Pakistan.
(Begin recording) (Karzai) God forbade, if any war took place between Pakistan and the United States. We will stand by Pakistan.
(Saleem Safi) Well, you will stand by Pakistan.
(Karzai) Yes, definitely. We are your brothers. The way Pakistan provided us shelter and the way Pakistan gave us homes considering us as brothers. And we remained there as refugees with great respect. In the same manner, God forbade if Pakistan is….
(Safi interrupts) This is a big claim. God forbade, if there is a war between Pakistan and India then?
(Karzai) No, if anyone attacked Pakistan. //If Pakistan is attacked and if the people of Pakistan needed Afghanistan’s help, Afghanistan will be there with you. Afghanistan is a brother. But please brother, stop using all methods that hurt us and are now hurting you. Let us engage from a different platform. The platform in which the two brothers only progress towards a better future in peace and harmony, and Afghanistan will be with you. So Afghanistan is not going to be dictated in any way by any country US or India or Russia or China or whoever. Afghanistan has its own policy, its own (word indistinct), its own clear view on things. And from that point of view, from that stance it is dealing with its brothers in Pakistan.// (end recording) ‘
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