Islamabad, August 4(ANI): US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen's decision to skip Pakistan during his last tour to the region suggests a continuing stalemate in Pakistan-US military ties, especially on counter-terrorism strategies.
Admiral Mullen visited Afghanistan and Iraq and did not stopover in Pakistan, which would have been normally a part of his trip to the region.
"We were just informed that he wouldn't visit Pakistan. We are not aware of any reasons," the Dawn quoted a US military official as saying.
Admiral Mullen, whose tenure as Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman ends next month, acknowledged before embarking on the visit to Afghanistan that the military relationship, which once formed foundation of bilateral ties, was passing through a difficult phase.
However, he spoke to Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani before leaving for Afghanistan, possibly explaining the reasons for omitting Pakistan from his tour.
The apparent snub by Admiral Mullen reflects the US military's concerns about the contentious issues that have soured the US-Pakistan ties.
The US had earlier suspended 800 million dollars in military aid to Pakistan, which constitutes one third of the total security assistance received from Washington.
According to Pakistani military officials Admiral Mullen did not visit Pakistan to express displeasure after Pakistan refused to review the decision of sending back American military trainers after the May 2 US raid in Abbottabad.
But Admiral Mullen had indicated during media interviews that he differed with Pakistani commanders over the timeframe to carry out certain military operations.
He had said that his main worry as he left the office was continued presence of safe havens in the Pakistan border areas from where Al Qaeda affiliates were planning to launch attacks beyond the region.
Though the impasse continues in Pakistan-US military ties, military officers said they are encouraged by US envoy Marc Grossman's statement that Washington will take Pakistan along in its reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan. (ANI)
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