CIA Chief feels US-Pakistan relation still under strain

Washington, Feb 2 (ANI): Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director General David Petraeus has said that the internal situation in Pakistan will take some time to get back to normalcy.

"The relationship (with Pakistan) is very important, but the relationship right now is also quite strained," The Nation quoted General Petraeus, as saying.

The most recent cause of that, of course, is the November 26 border incident between the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Pakistani forces, he said.

Pakistan is undergoing a political crisis over the Memo gate scandal and the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) issue.

Petraeus said the situation in Pakistan is tensed over these issues concerning the Supreme Court, the army chief, the ISI director, the government, the president and the Prime Minister.

"That may be calming a bit. There have been signs of that in recent days. It's worth noting, by the way, that the former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, (Husain) Haqqani, was allowed to leave, and he did arrive in the UAE this morning," he said.

"Nonetheless, the situation, I think as our British colleagues might say, is fraught, and it is going to take some time. It's going to take a lot of diplomacy, engagement and so forth to move forward in a relationship that's important to both our countries. I should note that - as a general comment - we believe the relationship between the intelligence services is generally still productive."

"There is certainly good communication going back and forth, and there have been some important - again, pursuit of important mutual objectives between the two services," Panetta said when asked about the relationship between the intelligence community of the two countries," Petraeus added. (ANI)