??????? ????| PAKISTAN LEDGER | ???????? ????? | September 5th, 2008  | Moin Ansari | ???? ??????? |  | RUPEE NEWS | Moin Ansari | September 5th, 2008 | ???? ??????? | ????? ????? | There has been reaction from Pakistan to the violation of Pakistani sovreign territory. Pakistani rage on their borders being violated cannot be underestimated. Over 20 heavily-loaded vehicles, including oil tankers, were stranded at the border town of Torkham following the government’s decision.

The government is reported to have decided to stop fuel supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan via the Torkham highway with effect from Saturday. “An order to this effect has come from Islamabad and the Frontier Corps has been asked to stop oil supplies to Nato forces forthwith,” a senior government official said.

 After ISI US targets Kiyani- banks on new gofer-Asif Zardari to do bidding. The rage against US intrusion into Pakistani territory has now become a row among friends and a tiff among allies. The choices for Pakistan: US aid or Independence. The US, despite protestations from Pakistan, sent in helecopter gusnhips into Pakistani territory. The Frontier Corps reacted and came down from their high point on the hills. However before they reached the US forces, the helicpters had left.

While on the ground, they focused on some militants but could not find any high value targets. Instead many innocent women and children were killed.

Relations between ISI and CIA souring? On Wednesday morning, US special forces entered Angorada in the South Waziristan tribal area where members of al-Qaeda’s shura (council), Arabs and Uzbeks were believed to be operating. The rugged mountainous area is also a known launching pad for militants staging attacks on a US military post in the Birmal area in Paktika province in Afghanistan.

The special forces, who flew in by helicopter to a small village, soon realized that they did not have the numbers or air cover to conduct effective search operations. Firing broke out and about 20 civilians are believed to have been killed before the forces withdrew.

Twenty-four hours later, four militants were killed in North Waziristan, reportedly by US special forces. The dead did not include any of the senior al-Qaeda or militant leaders who were said to have been in the area. Asia Times-Syed Saleem Shehzad

US Penatagon & Pakistani GHQ ties worsen. The situation in FATA has now taken a turn for the worse. The suspended logistical support to US forces can have a huge impact on the war in Afghanistan. Every sip of water that the ISAF and NATO forces drink, every meal that the American soldiers eat, every gallon of gas for the vehicles used by the European, every bullet that is fired comes through Pakistan. Any delay in the supplies can have catastrphic impacts on the war in Karzai. If Pakistan allows the insurgents to attack the convoys, the Afghan war will come to a screeching halt. Static on the American-Pakistani connection: A disconnect? .

Pentagon officials who spoke to Los Angeles Times said that some officials in the US Defence Department believed such commando raids were necessary to counter increasing violence in Afghanistan.

While reporting the Pentagon’s new strategy, the newspaper noted that the raids “threatened to aggravate US-Pakistani tensions just before the country’s presidential election on Saturday, in which attitudes towards the United States are likely to be a key issue.”

• Pak to US: Stop supporting BLA, Taliban terrorists in Pakistan
• Reality check on the failed war on terror-: Revisiting the options
• Can PM Gilani make himself heard above the USA “Do More” rhetoric?
• Pakistan to USA: “We are unclear about your intentions and you must know if you do not trust us we trust you even less”

“The frequency of US raids in the future may depend on the Pakistani reaction,” the report said. “US officials are monitoring both the public response and the private reaction from leaders of the fledgling Pakistani government. Some military officials considered the initial Pakistani response relatively restrained, although protests continued to build.”

• Pakistan: Deflecting the US “Do more mantra”
• Comprehending the consequences of the “Do More” chorus
• GWOT should be replaced with Police Action & Swat teams  
• Where’ the beef? Rhetoric from the USA but no US arms for Pakistani Forontier Corps

A senior Pentagon official, while talking to the Times, conceded that pushing for more aggressive action by the new Pakistani government also carried risks. Any Pakistani politician perceived to favour more US latitude in Pakistan would suffer, the official said.

“If you want to lose,” the official said, “just be the one that gets caught talking to (Vice-President Dick) Cheney about US incursions across your border.”

Fuel supply to Nato forces ‘suspended’  By Ibrahim ShinwariLANDI KOTAL, Sept 5: The government is reported to have decided to stop fuel supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan via the Torkham highway with effect from Saturday.

“An order to this effect has come from Islamabad and the Frontier Corps has been asked to stop oil supplies to Nato forces forthwith,” a senior government official said.

Sources said the federal government did not cite any reason for the move, but the decision was apparently taken in the wake of the US ground and missile attacks in North and South Waziristan tribal regions.

The US-led forces have intensified assaults in the tribal region over the past few days and five attacks, including the ground assault in Angoor Adda, have been launched, killing over 50 people, including foreign and local militants and civilians.

The Torkham highway, linking Peshawar with Kabul and northern parts of Afghanistan and Central Asian states, is a major supply route for the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in the war-ravaged country.

Over 20 heavily-loaded vehicles, including oil tankers, were stranded at the border town of Torkham following the government’s decision.

However, an official told Dawn in Peshawar that the supplies had been suspended only temporarily because of the law and order situation in the Khyber tribal region.

“Why would Pakistan suspend oil supplies due to increased US attacks in the region? It goes against conventional wisdom,” the official said.

“Torkham highway has become extremely dangerous due to militancy in Jamrud and Landi Kotal. The administration needs to beef up security of the highway. When we have enough troops on the ground to ensure safety of oil tankers, the supplies would be allowed to go through,” he added.

He denied that the decision to suspend oil supplies had come from Islamabad and said it was taken at the local level in view of the security situation.

The sources said that militants had increased their activities in the Khyber region after the military operation in Bajaur.