ASIA PACIFIC
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2010
Jane's Defence Weekly
Pakistan cancels high-level intelligence talks with UK
Farhan Bokhari JDW Correspondent - Islamabad
Pakistan has cancelled high-level intelligence talks with the UK scheduled to begin on 3 August in protest at British Prime Minister David Cameron's remarks during a visit to India last week in which he publicly criticised Pakistan for retaining links to Islamic militants.
While President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in the UK on 3 August for a five-day visit, Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, director general of the army-run Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, cancelled his visit to London on 2 August - a day ahead of scheduled meetings.
An ISI spokesman told Jane's the cancelled visit was in response to the "unwarranted" and "uncalled for" remarks by Cameron. The move marks an immediate setback in Pakistan's co-operation with the UK through the regular exchange of information on Afghanistan, which helps to protect British forces deployed to the central Asian country, as well as exchanges on tracking terror networks among the radicalised members of UK citizens of Pakistani origin.
However, opinion remains divided over the extent to which the ISI's gesture marks a long-term break in its ties to British Army and intelligence services. A senior Pakistani government official told Jane's : "The British prime minister ended up crossing the red line. Unless Prime Minister Cameron clearly steps back from the position he has taken, the situation cannot be easily normalised."
A Western defence official based in Islamabad told Jane's : "The ISI's reaction puts across the anger within the army. We have to see how far they [the Pakistan Army] will remain lukewarm."
For the moment, there appear to be few signs of Cameron retreating from his position in a way that will overcome the division.
However, retired Major General Mehmood Durrani, a former national security adviser to Pakistan's prime minister, told Jane's that he did not expect the discord to continue for the long haul. "Pakistan's civil and military establishments are very aware of the need to retain their links to the global audience. After all, Pakistan continues to be commended for the good work it has done in fighting the Taliban and that's a reality which people still accept. Pakistan has paid a heavy price in human and material terms by fighting the Taliban," he said.