Diplomatic Cable Discloses Harassment Of The US Embassy Employes By Pakistan's Military Services

A secret cable sent by US Embassy in Islamabad to the State Department in 2009 accuses Pakistan's military and intelligence service of harassing the embassy employees, sabotaging contracts and denying the purchase of protective gear, The Washington Times reported. "The military and intelligence establishment has taken steps since spring 2009 to hamper the operations of the embassy," the cable states. "Some of these problems have recently abated in response to our repeatedly raising them with the highest levels of the Pakistani government. However, we expect we will have to continue to push back against such impediments for the foreseeable future." The cable, publicized by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, lists some of Pakistan's assaults on the embassy:
• Holding up the issuance of the visas needed for new embassy staff to enter Pakistan.
• Denying import permits for the embassy to buy armored vehicles to protect staff.
• "Sabotaging" a contract with the U.S. firm DynCorp to protect the U.S. personnel at the consulate in Peshawar, near the Afghan border.
• Delaying U.S. shipments of gear to help Pakistani law enforcement.
• "Harassing" embassy personnel "by stopping and detaining their
vehicles."
• Refusing to let the U.S. acquire land for embassy expansion.
The cable says the staff "repeatedly" has complained about harassment
to "the highest levels of Pakistani government," with little positive
response.
Asked by the newspaper to comment on the cable, a State Department
official told The Washington Times that the situation had improved
recently."Without commenting on any cable, we have had many high-level
discussions with the Pakistani government regarding visas for additional
personnel for our missions in Pakistan, given expanding program and
security requirements. There has been some improvement in recent
months," the official was quoted as saying.
According to The Washington Times, the Pakistani military's motive for
hamstringing the U.S. Embassy is twofold. "First, it thinks Washington
wants to dismantle Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and thinks it has favoured
regional rival India when it approved a civilian nuclear-cooperation
agreement. Second, it suspects the State Department is trying to
determine Pakistan's national security policies by dealing with civilian
leaders only."
The Pakistan Military and Intelligence Services have done a
woderful job, that civil government could not do. The Americans deserve
treatment like this. Then they opologized for many things that they have
been doing. This was Military that compelled USA to bow.