The head of Pakistan's army has rejected U.S. suggestions that Islamabad is not doing enough in the war on terrorism.
General Ashfaq Kayani Thursday criticized what he called "negative propaganda" on the issue. He said Pakistani efforts show a national resolve to defeat militants.
The general spoke after meeting with the visiting top U.S. military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, who said Wednesday that some members of Pakistan's intelligence agency have a longstanding relationship with Haqqani network militants fighting in Afghanistan. Pakistan has denied any link with the al-Qaida-affiliated group.
U.S. officials want Pakistan to launch a military campaign into the country's North Waziristan tribal region, where Haqqani and Afghan Taliban elements are believed to be based. Pakistan says it is still consolidating its military gains against domestic Taliban elements elsewhere in the country.
Kayani also repeated Islamabad's objections to drone missile strikes against suspected militant targets in Pakistan, saying they undermine Pakistan's own efforts and are unpopular with its people.
U.S. officials have never publicly acknowledged the use of drone strikes inside Pakistan, but have privately confirmed their existence to various media outlets.
Mullen's two-day visit comes at a low point in relations between the two countries, following the arrest of a CIA contractor in Pakistan, a series of drone strikes in Pakistan's northwest and a White House report criticizing Islamabad's counterterrorism efforts.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
