LSE study establishes deep linkages between ISI and the Taliban; Richard Holbrooke: US aid to Pakistan would increase; Pakistan demands advanced US helicopters to fight militants in the tribal areas;
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    • The London School of Economics has come out with a report describing the ties between the ISI and the Taliban. The paper talks about the “significant influence” that ISI has over Taliban’s operation and is based largely on the interviews of Taliban commanders conducted by the author, Matt Waldman. The study concludes that the association between the ISI and the Taliban is much deeper than what it is known to be.1

    US Special Envoy on Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke noted that US military and non military aid to Pakistan would be increased. Holbrooke was addressing a joint press conference with Shah Memood Qureshi at the Foreign Office during his visit to Islamabad on June 19.2

    Meanwhile, US urged Pakistan to take action against the Haqqani network by providing evidence that the network was involved in recent attacks in Afghanistan. This was stated by General Petraeus during a Senate hearing in Washington on June 16.3

    A report published in the Washington Times noted that Pakistan has expressed need for special attack helicopters to fight the militants in the region. Notably, Pakistan’s demand has been considered favourably by US officials including Senator John Mc Cain.4

    In other developments, an air force plane carrying relief items was sent to Kyrgyzstan on June 14. The PAF aircraft was slated to bring back Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan and the body of a deceased student killed in the ongoing violence.5

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