December 11, 2011

Pakistan blockage of Nato convoys 'may last weeks'

The blocking of Nato convoys into Afghanistan via Pakistan may continue for several weeks, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has told the BBC.
Pakistan blocked the convoys in protest at US air strikes two weeks ago which killed 24 of its troops at two checkpoints on the Afghan border.
Mr Gilani also refused to rule out closing Pakistan's airspace to the US.
Asked about ailing President Asif Ali Zardari, he said medical tests were "clear" and he was improving.

Start Quote

Yes there is a credibility gap [with the US], we are working together and still we don't trust each other”
End Quote Yousuf Raza Gilani Pakistani prime minister
Pakistani officials have also confirmed that US forces have vacated an air base in Balochistan, meeting a deadline.
US officials could not be reached immediately for comment about the report, which said the last flight carrying US personnel and equipment had left Shamsi on Sunday.
Nato apologised earlier for the air strikes, calling it a "tragic unintended incident", and the White House also described the deaths as a tragedy.
However, asked by the BBC if he still believed the attacks had been deliberate and pre-planned, Mr Gilani replied: "Apparently so."
Credibility gap
In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, Mr Gilani said Pakistan and the US needed to trust each other better.

US-Pakistan downturn

  • 30 Sept 2010: Nato helicopters kill two Pakistani soldiers, prompting nearly two-week border closure in protest
  • 22 April 2011: Supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan halted for three days in protest over drone attacks
  • 2 May: US announces Bin Laden's death and says Pakistan not warned of raid
  • 2 June: Top US military chief Adm Mike Mullen admits "significant" cut in US troops in Pakistan
  • 10 July: US suspends $800m of military aid
  • 22 Sept: Outgoing US Adm Mullen accuses Pakistan of supporting Haqqani militant group in Afghanistan; denied by Pakistan
  • 27 Nov: Pakistan buries 24 of its troops who were killed in Nato air strikes at checkpoints on the Afghan border
  • 28 Nov: Pakistan denies reports it opened fire first in the 27 Nov attack

"Yes there is a credibility gap, we are working together and still we don't trust each other," Mr Gilani said.
"I think we have to improve our relationship so that... we should have more confidence in each other."
Asked about the state of health of Mr Zardari, who has been receiving heart treatment in Dubai, he denied that the president had had a stroke, or that he had written a letter of resignation, as claimed by a source in Dubai.
"Why should he write?" asked Mr Gilani. "He has the backing and support of the entire parliament."
He denied the army was trying to push the president out of office.
Dismissing speculation about a quiet coup, he said: "Rumours are rumours."

Base vacated

A US aircraft left Shamsi around 15:00 (10:00 GMT) with the last group of 32 US officials and materiel, a Pakistani security official told AFP news agency.
"The control of the base has been taken over by the army," a statement by the Pakistani military said.
The US Ambassador to Islamabad, Cameron Munter, told a Pakistan television channel last week that the US military was complying with the request to vacate the base.
Shamsi was widely believed to have been used in covert CIA drone attacks against Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in north-west Pakistan's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
However, vacating Shamsi is not expected to significantly curtail drone attacks in Pakistan, according to an Associated Press news agency report.
The US military used it to service drones which took off from Afghanistan heading to the border region, and then could not make it back to base because of mechanical or weather difficulties, it adds.

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