JNN 19 Mar 2012 Karachi :  The decision of re opening the NATO supply routes was made during a Wednesday meeting of civilian and military leadership of the country in Islamabad, attended by President Asif Ali Zaradri, Amy Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani along with his senior ministers.

The meeting was convened to discuss channels to normalize the relations with US-led forces in Afghanistan and restore NATO supplies route through Pakistani territories.

The rare meeting of the country’s top civilian and military leadership was held just days ahead of the joint session of the parliament that will mainly focus on Pakistan’s future relationship with the US and NATO.

Pakistani port officials have begun preparations for the reopening of a major land-based supply route for NATO convoys heading intoAfghanistan.

“We have now been ordered to prepare for a resumption of traffic of trucks for NATO supplies to Afghanistan,” a senior port official in Kararchi told CBS News Thursday on condition of anonymity. The government says the final decision on when to drop the ban on NATO traffic rests with the Pakistani parliament, which is expected to debate the issue next week.

Pakistani officials have cited concern over the danger of a public backlash to the reopening of the route, and the likely decision to do so now comes after a tumultuous weeks for the U.S.-led war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Concern over violent backlash mounted in the wake of public protests in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan following the burning of Korans by U.S. soldiers at a sprawling base in Afghanistan, and then the alleged massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a U.S. army soldier.

The indications from officials in Pakistan now are that the route will be reopened, assuming nothing else major happens between now and an officialannouncement to derail any agreement reached between the U.S., its NATO partners, and Islamabad.—INP

In November 2011, Islamabad blocked the supply line for the US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan in reaction to the killing of 26 Pakistani soldiers by the US-led forces near the Afghan border.

Top US military commander General James Mattis has said he will be visiting Pakistan in the next ten days to discuss re-opening NATO supply routes, with officials.

The announcement came after The New York Times first reported in February that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General James Mattis would be visiting Pakistan in an effort to repair ties between both countries.

Testifying at a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, General Mattis said that the US did need ground lines through Pakistan, and mentioned that he would be meeting Pakistani officials on his trip there in ten days.

Talking about Pakistan’s pending parliamentary review and US-Pakistan relations, General Mattis said that he remained optimistic that they would make progress in this regard.

Relations remain tense between both countries following a NATO airstrike on November 26, 2011, of last year that led to the death of 24 Pakistani soldiers.

General Mattis said that co-operation with Pakistan continues on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border after the NATO airstrike. He added that the border coordination meetings had been taking place at different levels.

In response to a question, General Mattis said that while there was still friction, they were making progress, and had exchanged Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in near border operations with Pakistan.

When asked by Senator Shaheen over the closure of NATO supply routes by Pakistan, General Mattis said that the US was currently sending supplies to Afghanistan partly by air, sea and through the Northern Distribution Network.

Reports on whether the US would issue a formal or private apology to Pakistan on the NATO airstrike remain unconfirmed.

In response to a question on Pakistan and their progress in acting against controlling the flow of ammonium nitrate used to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), General Mattis said that while it has been an area of frustration, US has had serious dialogue with Pakistan on the subject.

“They (Pakistan) have passed laws to enable them to make arrests that they could not make before and have put together a counter-IED strategy,” adding that he was optimism about progress in this regard, despite there being a need for further discussion with Pakistan on it.

The US General further said that there were a number of factors dominating the issue, including Pakistan’s control over FATA.

In his opening remarks at the hearing, Senator John McCain said, “In Pakistan our relations remain fraught by a series of set backs.” He added that Pakistan’s intelligence service continues to “support terrorist groups like the Haqqani Network.”

Related articles

• Pakistan Blocks NATO supplies route to Kabul, after attack on Pakistani soil (jafrianews.com)
• NATO Route to Afghanistan likely to be reopened. (jafrianews.com)