SPY EYES

Renowned defense analyst, Brigadier (Retd) Shaukat Qadir, says that Pakistan Army is not going to launch military offensive in North Waziristan against Haqqani network and other Taliban elements said to be operating from the agency in Afghanistan against the foreign forces.

It is to be mentioned here that there are reports that Pakistan Army is going to launch military offensives in North Waziristan under tremendous pressure of US. During the recent visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chairman US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, they were assured by Pakistan military that operation would be launched in the tribal belt.

US military chief, Admiral Mike Mullen, on Monday told a television network that Pakistan Army would launch a major offensive on militants in North Waziristan. “It’s a very important fight and a very important operation,” the outgoing chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

However, defence analyst Shaukat Qadir told The News Tribe during an interview that the American had been conveyed during the recent visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the decision to launch operation in North Waziristan would be taken by Pakistan on its own and the time for the operation would also be selected by it. He asserted that Pakistani leadership made it clear that Pakistan would not launch military operation on anyone’s dictation.

He claimed the American were told that operation in N Waziristan would be launched if US topped drone attacks. However, he said, the US officials did not show their willingness to accept the condition.