To curb Haqqani network, Hillary gifts Pak goodies

LONDON: In what might seem to be an off the table quid-pro-quo, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced a raft of new aid projects worth $500 million on Monday, even as Washington raised pressure on Pakistan to tackle the feared Haqqani network.
The Haqqani network is a branch of Afghan Taliban which operates across the Af-Pak border and is widely suspected of having close ties to the Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.Fearing the possibility of attacks against the US emanating from Pakistan, Hillary Clinton on her second visit to the country has called on Islamabad to take further and specific actions against militant networks, BBC reported.
Without going into details, BBC said that Hillary in an interview in Islamabad had indicated that US wanted Pakistan to do more to tackle the Haqqani network. She also said that the US was looking into the possibility of listing the Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation.
"We have designated a number of their leaders over the year as terrorists, and we're now looking at whether and how to describe the group and if it meets the legal criteria for naming it", she said.
Hillary on Monday announced major aid projects for Pakistan as she sought tougher action from Islamabad to combat militants. The projects are part of a $7.5 billion aid effort to win over Pakistanis suspicious about Washington's goals here and in Afghanistan.