The Obama Administration voiced concern about the contacts by some elements in ISI with terror outfits in the wake of the leak of military documents by WikiLeaks.
The US has asked Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists within its borders and firmly said its spy agency ISI must "strategically shift its focus" as any ties with terror outfits that has come to light is "unacceptable."
The American prescription in the war against terrorism came even as US president Barack Obama reviewed the current situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with the recently held US-Pak Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad, at his monthly situation room meeting with his top national security aides.
The Obama Administration voiced concern about the contacts by some elements in ISI with terror outfits in the wake of the leak of military documents by WikiLeaks that laid bare its links with terror outfits in Afghanistan.
"Our concerns about the ISI and its contacts with some of these elements has been well known. It has been a part of our conversation with Pakistan for some time. Pakistan itself has commented publicly about this," State Department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters at his daily news conference.
"But we are focussed on the decisive action that Pakistan must take to deal with the threat that is within its borders and has, in the last year or two, become clear that it's a threat to Pakistan, and we are satisfied with the aggressive action that Pakistan has taken in response," he said.
"We want to see that aggressive action continues. Where we have concerns about ongoing contacts, we will not hesitate to raise them with Pakistan," Crowley said in response to a question.
Separately, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen in an unusually strong statement asked ISI to "strategically shift its focus", as any ties with the terror outfits that has come to light in the wake of the WikiLeaks episode is unacceptable.
"There have been elements of the ISI that have got relationships with extremist organisations, and we consider that unacceptable," Mullen told reporters at a Pentagon news conference along with the defence secretary, Robert Gates.
The statement from Admiral Mullen, who has been one of the staunchest supporters of the Pak Army, comes in the wake of the increasing domestic pressure--from lawmakers, media and think-tank--following revelation by the voluminous classified documents released by WikiLeaks, according to which the ISI continues to help and assist the Taliban and Al Qaeda against US forces in its war against terrorism in Afghanistan.
"In the long run, I think that the ISI has to strategically shift its -- tied in great part to what the Secretary's laid out -- focussed on its view of its own national-security interests," Mullen said in response to a question in which he was asked to respond to the remarks made by the British Prime Minister David Cameroon in India that Britain would not tolerate export of terrorism by Pakistan.
"These are issues that... and I have seen some of this; I was just with General Kayani again, and this is a subject we frequently discuss. And they have, as the Secretary (of Defence) said, in that country, captured lots of terrorists, killed lots of terrorists, focused on terrorism. And they are strategically shifting," he noted.
"That doesn't mean that they are through that shift at all, and they are still focused on rebuilding this trust as well, and it is not yet rebuilt," Mullen said.
In the last year and a half Mullen is said to have made more than 18 trips and have had more than two dozen meetings with Kayani, the Pak Army chief.
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