Pakistani army rejects calls to attack Haqqani

The Pakistan army will not take action against the Haqqani militant group that Washington blames for attacks in Afghanistan, despite mounting US pressure, a daily newspaper reported yesterday.

The army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, held a meeting with his top commanders on Sunday to discuss the security situation, after a week of tension and tit-for-tat rhetoric with Washington, which accuses the army's ISI spy agency of supporting the Haqqani network.

The Pakistani commanders agreed to resist US demands for an army offensive in North Waziristan, where the United States believes the Haqqani network is based, the Express Tribune reported. Reuters