US ultimatum to Pakistan to dismantle Taliban - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Tightening its noose around Pakistan for its lacklustre approach in tackling the Taliban, the Obama administration has in its latest direction reportedly asked Pakistan to act against these groups, or else, the US will. The message has reportedly been put across by President Obama's National Security Aadviser Lt.Gen. James Jones and White House Counter-Terrorism Chief John Brennan. Both have reportedly conveyed a blunt message to Islamabad saying: "If you won't do it, we will." According to reports, both Jones and Brennan met with the Pakistani leadership in the military and intelligence communities and firmly told them they must go after the two prominent Taliban groups that they have so far been reluctant to target- The Afghan Taliban, including its leader Mullah Omar, who is reportedly hiding in Quetta, and the Haqqani network, which is based in North Waziristan. Every time new information comes out on Jones' meetings with the Pakistani officials, the outcome suggests that messages put across by the United States are getting harsher by the day. First, it was all about how Jones delivered a letter to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari. Then, it was about how the White House isn't willing to look the other way on ties between the government and militants, and now, it turns out that both Jones and Brenan have reportedly delivered a much blunter message that reads: "If you won't do it, we will". The two administration officials have implicitly warned Pakistan that the United States will not only expand the area of its drone attacks beyond the tribal areas, but might consider launching Special Operations raids inside Pakistan. Obama administration officials, however, insist it isn't an ultimatum, but that's how the Pakistani leadership has viewed it. The blunt message surfaces as militants attacked an intelligence office in central Pakistan today and killed 12 people.