Washington: US President George W Bush has decided to send an unusually tough message to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, a close ally in the war against terror, warning him that Congress could cut aid to Islamabad unless it is more aggressive in hunting down al-Qaeda militants.
The decision came after the White House concluded that General Musharraf is failing to live up to commitments he made to Bush during a visit here in September last, The New York Times reported.
Musharraf had insisted then that a peace deal he struck with tribal leaders in areas bordering Afghanistan would not diminish the hunt for the leaders of al-Qaeda and the Taliban or their training camps.
Now, American intelligence officials have concluded that the terrorist infrastructure is being rebuilt, and that while Pakistan has attacked some camps, its overall effort has flagged, it said.
"He's made a number of assurances over the past few months, but the bottom line is that what they are doing now is not working," one senior administration official was quoted as saying. "The message we're sending to him now is that the only thing that matters is results."
Democrats, who took control of Congress last month, have urged the White House to put greater pressure on Pakistan because of statements from American commanders that units based in Pakistan that are linked to the Taliban are increasing their attacks into Afghanistan.
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