Islamabad: Pakistan may reopen the Ground Lines of Communications (GLOCs), allowing Nato containers to re-enter Afghanistan, within a week.
The US also hinted at the reopening of GLOCs, without mentioning how much time it would take. One of Pakistan’s leading English newspapers, The News, quoted an anonymous Pakistani diplomat as saying, “We will open GLOCs soon. My hunch is in a week’s time.”
Earlier, a US State Department official told The News, “There is a “package deal” being discussed at high levels which includes Coalition Support Fund (CSF), but the deal is not yet quite concluded. We remain hopeful.
“We would be delighted if Pakistan would announce sooner, rather than later, the opening of GLOCs. However, Pakistan has not yet conveyed to us any hints about a date.”
Earlier, spokesman at the State Department had said, “We hope to reach resolution soon. I don’t know if they’re meeting every day, but the team remains in Islamabad discussing it. We are continuing to meet in Islamabad to talk over these issues, as we are discussing a broad range of issues with Pakistan. It’s slow going. But we’re making progress.”
Pakistan’s decision might have come in the wake of US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta’s statement that the US was nearing the limits of its patience with Pakistan over ‘safe havens’ the country offered to the insurgents in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Panetta was speaking to media in Kabul, where a Nato air strike reportedly killed 18 villagers.
He said:”It is difficult to achieve peace in Afghanistan as long as there is safe haven for terrorists in Pakistan.
“It is very important for Pakistan to take steps. It is an increasing concern, the issue of safe haven, and we are reaching the limits of our patience.”
Efforts from both Pakistan and the US are under way to heal the rifts after Salala incident in which a Nato strike killed 24 Pakistan Army soldiers last year. Pakistan blocked Nato supply after the incident and has remained adamant not to open it ever since.
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