Partnership, Not Pressure, Will Win Pakistan’s Help: Vali Nasr

Sept. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Now that the U.S. has openlyaccused Pakistan of helping plan and conduct the attackearlier this month on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the Obamaadministration’s exit strategy from Afghanistan is lookingincreasingly cloudy.

An American departure depends on Pakistan’scooperation in keeping things quiet. Yet its spy agency,the ISI, helped plan and conduct the embassy assault withthe Islamist Haqqani network, according to Admiral MikeMullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. TheU.S. government sees the Haqqani group, which is based inPakistan, as an al-Qaeda affiliate. Pakistan denies theseclaims, but it has been unwilling to move against thegroup’s safe haven within Pakistan’s borders. The U.S. hasthreatened to take unilateral action if Pakistan doesn’tcrack down.