A secret cable sent by the embassy to Washington outlines a bizarre situation: Pakistani security forces, which receive billions of dollars in U.S. aid and who are supposed to be allies in a war against Muslim extremists, put the embassy under a sort of siege.
"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 Pakistani military and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are two of the most powerful institutions in Pakistan. In the past, the military has ousted civilian rule. Elements in the ISI secretly aid the Taliban and al Qaeda — the very armies against which the U.S. is at war. The New York Times reported that the ISI helped militants bomb the Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008.
The cable, publicized by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, lists some of Pakistan's assaults on the embassy:
**FILE** A man watches Wikileaks memos at an electronic shop in Karachi, Pakistan on Dec. 2. (Associated Press)• 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."
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Pakistani forces 'hamper' embassy - Washington Times
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