'US won’t punish soldiers over NATO strike in Pak'

 The US military has decided that none of its soldiers involved in a NATO airstrike in November last year that had killed 24 Pakistani soldiers will face disciplinary charges, an incident that had plunged the bilateral ties to a new low.

A second inquiry to determine whether any American military personnel should be held accountable for the incident concluded that the Americans fired in self-defence and should not be punished, reported quoting three senior military officials.

"We found nothing criminally negligent on the part of any individual in our investigations of the incident," a senior American military official was quoted as saying.

The other mistake that contributed to the fatal cross-border strike was the regrettable result of battlefield confusion.

Ties between the US and Pakistan plunged to a new low after the November incident, which had also complicated the allied mission in Afghanistan.

An American investigation in December had found that both US and Pakistani troops were to be blamed for the deadly exchange of fire, but had noted that the Pakistanis fired the first shots from two border posts.

The investigation had found that the Pakistani soldiers had kept firing even after the Americans tried to warn them that they were shooting at allied troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has rejected these conclusions and blamed the American forces for the deadly incident. After the December investigation, the American chain of command in Afghanistan and at the Central Command set out to determine culpability of its soldiers involved.

"The military's decision is expected to anger Pakistani officials at a time when the two countries are gingerly trying to patch up a security relationship left in tatters over the past year from a series of episodes," including the shooting of two Pakistanis in Lahore by a CIA contractor and the Navy SEALs raid in Abbottabad that killed bin Laden, the NYT said.

Head of the US military's Central Command Gen James Mattis is scheduled to hold long-delayed meetings this week in Islamabad with Pakistani Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to discuss the airstrike probe, as well as new border coordination procedures to prevent the episode's recurrence.

Mattis is also expected to discuss opportunities for training, arms sales and improving border coordination centres, military officials said.

The November attack had set in motion two inquiries with the first investigation concluding that Pakistani troops fired first on a joint Afghan-American patrol, prompting the Americans to respond with fire.

The investigation had determined that it took about 45 minutes for a NATO operations officer in Afghanistan to notify a senior allied commander about Pakistan's calls that its outposts were under attack, one of several breakdowns in communication that contributed to the airstrike.

American military legal experts said that the episode illustrated the difficulties of assigning blame when an unintended chain of events results in tragedy.

US troops have taken several steps in the wake of the airstrike to ensure such an accident does not happen again. These include reviewing and harmonising all directives related to border operations, increased training and coordination, improved surveillance before missions and more current information on the location of border installations on both sides.

"Cross-border communications have been improved, command levels at border coordination centres have increased, and command relationships have been redefined where needed," NATO spokesman Jimmie Cummings said.

Pakistan's Parliament is scheduled to resume debate this week on its review of relations with the United States. Obama is also expected to meet Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani in Seoul, where the two will take part in the nuclear security conference.

Taliban leader Mullah Omar sent a letter to President Obama

The White House received a letter last year purported to come directly from Mullah Omar, the reclusive leader of the Taliban, asking the United States to deliver militant prisoners whose transfer is now at the heart of the Obama administration's bid to broker peace in Afghanistan.

The unusual message kicked off a debate within the administration about whether it was truly authored by the mysterious one-eyed preacher believed to be directing the Taliban from hiding in Pakistan -- and its meaning for US efforts to forge a negotiated end to America's longest war.

"As we have engaged various interlocutors as part of the reconciliation process, we have received a variety of messages that were represented as being from senior members of the Taliban," an administration official said on condition of anonymity.

"However, we haven't received a letter that we are certain is from Mullah Omar."

The message, conveyed through an intermediary and intended for President Barack Obama, reportedly expressed impatience that the White House had not yet transferred five former senior Taliban officials out of Guantanamo Bay military prison.

US officials have been considering moving the detainees to Afghan custody in the Gulf state of Qatar as one of a series of good-faith measures that, if successful, could lead to talks on Afghanistan's future between militants and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The accelerating efforts to set such talks in motion are a central part of the Obama administration's strategy for leaving behind a modicum of stability as it winds down the US combat mission in Afghanistan.

A former imam and mujahideen guerrilla, Omar has not participated in initial US contacts with insurgent representatives, which have been focused on confidence-building measures. But his public support would be crucial for any peace agreement if substantive negotiations can be had.

After over 10 years of war, Washington and its Western allies are announcing plans to steadily withdraw their troops amid doubts whether the chronically weak, corrupt Afghan government can confront ongoing violence.

The administration official said the White House was "sceptical" the letter was actually from Mullah Omar. But others within the administration believed it was authentic.

"There's no signature. However, it expresses views consistent with what Taliban interlocutors have told us all along," the official said.

Taliban intentions unclear

While the impact of the purported missive last summer is unclear, a sign that the Taliban's political and spiritual leader was eager to get the peace process going - or at least engage in steps the United States hopes will lead to real talks - would be an encouraging sign for the high-stakes initiative.

It might also go some way to dispelling doubts dogging the State Department-led efforts about whether the people US diplomats have held initial meetings with over the past year do in fact speak for the leadership of the shadowy militant group, believed to be based in Pakistan.

While some statements attributed to the Taliban indicate a willingness to take part in peace talks, others suggest the opposite, or indicate the group will not accept US conditions for a deal, including allegiance to the Afghan constitution.

While the Taliban regularly issues statements, communication from Mullah Omar himself, who has not been seen in public for years, is more rare. The cleric, an ethnic Pashtun, is believed to have been born into a poor Afghan family around 1960.

After losing his right eye fighting Soviet occupiers, he became a leader of the ultra-conservative Taliban movement and was named 'Commander of the Faithful' by a group of Islamic scholars made up of Taliban in 1996.

His Taliban government was known for oppression of women and ferocity against those seen as violating its strict interpretation of Islam until it was toppled in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Today, Mullah Omar is not only seen as leader of the 'Quetta Shura' Taliban, named for the Pakistani city of Quetta where many Taliban leaders are believed to have resided for years, but is revered by other factions of the militant group, such as the Haqqani network that is active in eastern Afghanistan.

In the past, Omar rejected peace talks, saying they were a bid to "throw dust in the eyes" of Afghans, while the Taliban has denounced Karzai's government as illegitimate.

Last November, however, a statement attributed to the cleric on the occasion of a Muslim holiday indicated an openness to accept Afghans willing to renounce their support for the West, even as he praised the continuing 'jihad' against a foreign enemy.

The Taliban then made a surprise announcement last month it would open a political office in Qatar, suggesting the group may be willing to engage in negotiations that would likely give it government positions or official control over much of its historical southern heartland.

But it remains unclear whether the group is truly interested in entertaining authentic political negotiations - or simply wants to recover its prisoners.

Even though US officials say no decision has been made to go ahead with the detainee transfer, some members of Congress are already objecting, warning that transferred detainees could rejoin the fight or that the Taliban could revert to past tactics.

While Congress does not have the power to block the move, the White House might rethink such a risky move if serious bipartisan friction emerged in a Presidential Election year.

According to a secret report produced by NATO, Taliban detainees in Afghanistan remain convinced they will retake the country when the foreign force of about 130,000 soldiers goes home.

Under a current arrangement backed by NATO, most foreign combat forces would be gone by the end of 2014, but as war fatigue mounts in the West, that departure could come earlier.

ISI: 'Major surprises' expected in talks in Islamabad's peace talks with Taliban

The leadership of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency has told a Pakistani parliamentary panel that some "major surprises" are expected in Islamabad's peace talks with the Taliban, according to a media report on Friday.

The revelation was made by ISI officials during a three-hour briefing behind closed doors for the Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production yesterday. ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and his deputies briefed the lawmakers.

Pasha and his deputies confirmed that talks with the"Taliban, mainly homegrown militants, were at an advanced stage and some major break through was expected over the next few months", The Express Tribune quoted its sources as saying. The ISI officials were confident that there would be some"big surprises" on this front; an unnamed lawmaker was quote saying.

According to the ISI officials, the overall dimension of the situation in Afghanistan is rapidly changing.

In recent weeks, senior leaders like Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Interior Minister Rehman Malik have denied that talks are being held with the Pakistani Taliban. The briefing focussed on the ISI's role in the war against terror.

The policy for the campaign is going through a "holistic review" to correspond with changes in the US plans in Afghanistan, the ISI officials said.

Around five members of the Senate committee, which is headed by former ISI chief Lt Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi,were briefed on the spy agency's role.

Two key members of the panel, Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan People's Party and Khurshid Ahmad of the Jamaat-e-Islami, boycotted the briefing, saying the spy agency's officials should have come to parliament.

Two members were out of the country while another was unable to attend because of ill health. Lawmakers who attended the briefing shared very little information of the in-camera session that lasted from 10 am to 1 pm, the daily reported.

"After the ISI officials briefed the participants about the functions of their agency, members posed various questions before the agency officials to clarify the myths and reality associated with the ISI," a participant said.

Some participants were curious about the ISI's mod us operand in terms of the country’s political affairs. However,ISI chief Pasha opted to skip such questions, the report said. One ISI official denied that the spy agency plays any role in political affairs; an unnamed lawmaker was quoted assaying.

Another lawmaker claimed that Pasha admitted to the agency's involvement but said the ISI simply does what is asked of it by the government, be it civilian or military.

"They (ISI officials) said, 'We have been doing what the government of the time asks us to do...these days there are no such directions from this civilian government,” a lawmaker was quoted as saying.

Asked about Osama bin Laden's presence in the country,one senator said ISI feels the episode was not solely the agency's failure but was also a failure on the CIA's part and that of spy agencies of other allied countries.

There was no discussion on the alleged memo that sought US help to prevent a military takeover in Pakistan after the killing of bin Laden in May, the senators claimed.

One lawmaker from a military background said he was not only satisfied with the briefing but also paid accolades to the ISI.

"The ISI is the best spy agency in the world. It has been succeeding in its mission. Bashing of the ISI and the army by the people of Pakistan is unfortunate... they do not know the real functions of this agency," he said

US: No cut in USD 700 mn civilian aid to Pakistan

Struggling hard to restore its ties with Pakistan in the aftermath of NATO air strike last month, the Obama Administration Wednesday said that it has not cut any civilian aid to Pakistan, noting that this is an on-going move in the Congress right now.

"Well, first of all, just to clarify what has and hasn't happened here in our understanding. We have not cut USD 700 million in aid to Pakistan," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference.

"What we have is something on the defense authorization bill, which is currently moving in the Congress, which would require the Department of Defense to continue providing a strategy on how we will use certain military assistance and measure its progress, in particular on progress that we are making with Pakistan on the IED issue," Nuland said in response to a question.

Leaders of a US House-Senate negotiating panel yesterday had agreed to freeze USD 700 million in aid to Islamabad.

In a statement issued late last night, negotiating panel of the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously agreed to freeze the USD 700 million aid to Pakistan pending Pentagon's delivery of a strategy for improving the effectiveness of such assistance and assurances that Pakistan is countering Improvised Explosive Devices networks in their country that are targeting collation forces.

"If this legislation becomes law, we'll work with the government of Pakistan on how we can fulfill the requirements. But this requires us to maintain a strategic perspective and to be clear with our Congress about the strategy," she said.

"As you know, this is a subject that the US and Pakistan have been working on for some time together, both through DOD programs and through State Department programs," Nuland said.

The spokesperson did not comment in detail when asked about the conference of the diplomatic corps in Pakistan chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

"I don't have a comment specifically on the outcome of the conference. I don't have full information from our embassy after the conference. I think you know our view that while this relationship is sometimes difficult, it's very important for the US and Pakistan to continue to work together, particularly on threats that face both of us," she said.

"Our dialogue with them continues on how we can do that together," Nuland said.