New Delhi: The US has served an ultimatum to the Zardari government. Top US General, General David Petraeus - who is the head of the US Central Command - has hinted at direct action from his country if Pakistan doesn't destroy the Taliban within two weeks.
The stern warning from General Petraeus comes at a time when the US is urging Pakistan to act instead of talk. He was hinting at a possible move from military aid to military intervention.
Petraeus also put Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani above the Zardari government and said the army will fight and survive the Taliban unlike the government.
Briefing the Obama administration, Petraeus said, "The Pakistanis have run out of excuses. We have heard it all before. I am looking to see concrete action by the government to destroy the Taliban in the next two weeks before determining the United States' next course of action."
A few days ago, Petraeus had said that extremist elements were the most serious threat to Pakistan.
"The threat posed by the extremists internal to Pakistan represents what most observers assess to be the most significant threat to the very existence of Pakistan, as opposed to the traditional threat that the Pakistani military has focused on to the east with India," General Petraeus said.
However, in response to a question General Petraeus said the nuclear weapons of the country are safe at present. "We are confident in the security of their nuclear weapons and their storage and handling of those," he said.
"It's an enormous shift for the Pakistani military to change from a focus that is almost exclusively on conventional military operations -- in other words, offense and defense along their eastern boundary with India -- to focus more on dealing with the irregular warfare threat posed by the internal extremists."
He also noted that there was a significant offensive operation underway in parts of the North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan and that there was a determination by Pak military to roll back some of these advances by the Pakistani Taliban.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has rejected the deadline saying, "US should respect that democratic countries can't be dictated to. We are doing our level best to finish off all terror elements from the country. We have shown in the past also that we don't accept any timelines. We are working hard."
In a strange interpretation of US President's censure of the Pakistan government, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday said it was Barack Obama's "personal opinion".
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"It is his personal opinion," Gilani told reporters in his home town of Multan on being asked about Obama's remarks.
In a prime-time news conference in Washington marking the 100-day of his presidency on Thursday, Obama said the US was gravely concerned about the situation in Pakistan and the civilian government being "very fragile".
"I'm more concerned that the civilian government there right now is very fragile and don't seem to have the capacity to deliver basic services -- schools, health care, rule of law, a judicial system that works for the majority of the
people," the US leader said.
Disputing Obama's view, Gilani said his government is "strong".
"All institutions, including the parliament, judiciary and media, are functioning effectively within the ambit of the constitution," he said.
Obama had also stated that Pakistan's civil and military leadership had only recently recognised that their "obsession with India as the mortal threat to Pakistan has been misguided".
Brushing aside reports that government's writ does not run on the army, Gilani said the army works under the civilian government.
Pakistani army's offensive against the Taliban in Buner and Dir has entered the fourth day on Friday. Five militants have been killed in a fresh offensive by security forces in the Maidan area of lower Dir.
Heavy artillery shelling and firing by gunships conitnues in the area and six civilians have been killed in the shelling in Buner. Meanwhile, the Taliban has released the 10 abducted policemen from Upper Dir, but claims it has attacked a security convoy killing 60 personnel. Police stations in Swat have been vacated fearing the Taliban after four policemen were abducted.
There are indications that if the situation dteriorates, the army may launch its next offensive in Swat. Meanwhile, Sufi Mohammad has accepted the government's offer for talks which will be held in Timergarah town in Lower Dir on Friday.
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