Pakistan military leaders meet in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's influential army chief met Sunday with his senior commanders in the first gathering of its kind since a war of words was unleashed with the United States, over accusations that Pakistan's army-run spy agency supported the Haqqani militant network in launching an attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul.
The controversy - unleashed last week when Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly accused the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in relation to the September 13 Kabul attack - is widely seen as a significant setback to relations between the two countries that have worked as close allies since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Pakistan army on Sunday confirmed that General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani had met with his top commanders, but did not elaborate on the nature of the discussions that lasted for almost six hours.
However, a senior Pakistani intelligence officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CBS News, "The discussions obviously take place in the background of our sliding relations with the United States. Pakistan is not looking to pick a quarrel with the U.S. But our feeling is that the U.S. accusations are blatantly unfair."
Pakistani officials responded to Adm. Mullen's remarks by saying the accusations were exaggerated, and that a number of countries with an interest in Afghanistan also have contacts with militant groups, including the Haqqani network.
On Sunday the Pakistani intelligence officer who spoke to CBS News said, "There are a number of factions active on the battlefield of Afghanistan. Pakistan is a neighbor of Afghanistan and we therefore like to try and keep up with the relevant players in the field. But never - and that's a big 'never' - have we considered directly aiding the Haqqani network so that they can attack the U.S.
"It would be silly for us to become involved in an attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul and then live with the consequences," the intelligence officer said.
In a related development on Sunday, Pakistan's prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani began contacting opposition politicians to build a consensus surrounding a national policy on relations with Washington. A Pakistani government official who works with Gilani and agreed to speak to CBS News on condition that he will not be named said, "As relations with the U.S. remain in a difficult phase, we are trying to get everyone on a common platform."
While the U.S. claims are serious, Western diplomats in Islamabad said the Obama administration was still seeking to retain its relationship with Pakistan, which remains a key U.S. ally in efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.
Admiral Mullen and other U.S. officials have also said Washington needs to remain engaged with Islamabad.
A statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Sunday, following a visit to Pakistan by General James Mattis, head of the U.S. Central Command, emphasized "the need for persistent engagements among the militaries of the U.S., Pakistan and other states in the region." General Mattis met with General Kayani and other senior military officers during his visit.
A senior defense official from a NATO member country who is based in Islamabad told CBS News on Sunday that "the U.S.-Pakistan relationship is suffering badly, but there are ongoing efforts to pull together and move on in the best way possible. The U.S. knows protecting its interests in Afghanistan will be impossible if Pakistan is completely alienated."