President Pervez Musharraf, now on a European tour, had last week summoned his ambassador in Washington Mehmud Ali Durrani for deliberations and sent him back with a strong message.
"A very clear and strong message has been sent by President Musharraf to his US counterpart through Pakistan's envoy to Washington Major General rtd Mehmud Ali Durrani," a well-placed source at the President House told IslamOnline.net, wishing not to be named.

He said the message was "to either trust our intelligence agencies or find out a new ally in war on terror."

Durrani, a close aide of Musharraf, was called in last week and had detailed meetings with the embattling president.

Various US think tanks and media outlets have continuously been blaming Pakistan's powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for links with Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

Some reports went as far as warning that Pakistan's nuclear weapons risk falling into the hands of militants.

The US State Department has recently said it would continue to monitor a strategy formulated by Islamabad in 2006 to defeat militants in restive northern tribal belt.

"Pakistan considers Washington partially responsible for this campaign aimed at maligning the role of its intelligence agencies and creating doubts about safety of our nuclear assets," a senior Foreign Office official told IOL.

"President Musharraf spent hours and hours with Durrani and sent him back with a message, which is clear, and loud.

"The message is that either trust us, let us deal with things as per our own strategy, otherwise you are free to chalk out your own strategy."

He said Musharraf wanted the message delivered to Washington before his meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on the sidelines of the Davos forum on Wednesday.

"The major bone of contention between the two countries is that the US wants a much bigger role in Pakistan's northern tribal belt, which according to its intelligence agencies has turned to a hub of Al-Qaeda and Taliban activities," said the official, adding that the American wish is not acceptable for Pakistan.

Allies

The Foreign Office official stressed that the two allies are keeping their differences behind closed doors.

"Pakistan and America are getting strict against each other but only through diplomatic channel. Apparently, they are still close allies in war on terror."

Experts also believe that despite the lack of trust, there is no choice for the two coalition partners.

"There is no substitute of Pakistan for America," Mehdi Masood, a senior diplomatic expert and former ambassador, told IOL.

"It has to depend upon us in any case."

He cites the reaction of different US officials to Musharraf's remarks last week that Pakistan "will not die" without America's aid in favor of his contention.

"If someone thinks that we cannot survive without its aid, then we don't need such aid. And if this is the case, then Pakistan will be free to look for other allies," Musharraf told a gathering at the President House.

"All the statements issued by the US officials in response to Musharraf's statement were positive," notes Masood.

"They know that Pakistan is indispensable for them in the war on terror."

Shamim Rahman, a Karachi-based senior diplomatic analyst, believes remarks by White House hopefuls against Pakistani intelligence agencies and its nuclear assets are for election purposes.

"This is playing for the gallery only, which will continue till the elections are held," he told IOL.

"Each hopeful wants to portray himself or herself as the biggest nationalist or patriot."

The expert believes both sides are issuing statements and counter statements just for public consumption.

"Neither Pakistan nor America will leave each other because both depend on each other in many ways," maintains Rahman.

"America has no better choice than Pakistan with respect to the war on terror, whereas Pakistan heavily depends upon US for its military needs," he notes.

"They both have no choice but to depend on each other at least until the end, if there is, of war on terror."

Source: www.islamonline.net

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