Washington, December 18
The top CIA official in Pakistan has been called back home from Islamabad after his cover was blown allegedly by the ISI, resulting in serious threat to his life.

The “purposeful” leaking of identity of the CIA station chief in Islamabad — named in Pakistani media as Jonathan Banks — allegedly by the ISI is in retaliation of a law suit filed against the Pakistani spy agency's chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha in a New York court over the Mumbai terrorist attacks, news reports here said.

The CIA official was rushed out of the agency's massive station in Islamabad on the same day that President Barack Obama issued a new warning to Pakistan's leaders that “terrorist safe havens within their borders must be dealt with,” The Washington Post said, referring to Thursday's developments.

The CIA official's continued presence in the Pakistani capital posed a serious threat to his life after his identity was exposed following which he had been receiving threatening calls, the American media reported, without naming him.

“The American officials said they strongly suspected that operatives of Pakistan's powerful spy service, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, had a hand in revealing the CIA officer's identity -- possibly in retaliation for a civil lawsuit filed in Brooklyn last month implicating the ISI chief in the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 2008,” The New York Times reported.

The development brings a new low in the relationship between the intelligence agencies of the US and Pakistan, which had strained of late.

“The American spy's hurried departure is the latest evidence of mounting tensions between two uneasy allies, with the Obama administration's strategy for ending the war in Afghanistan hinging on the cooperation of Pakistan in the hunt for militants in the mountains that border those two countries. The tensions could intensify in the coming months with the prospect of more American pressure on Pakistan,” The New York Times said.

The Washington Post also said the allegation marked a new low in the relationship between the CIA and its Pakistani counterpart at a time when both intelligence services were under pressure to root out militant groups and the CIA was waging a vastly accelerated campaign of drone strikes.

A US intelligence official told the Post that the CIA head in Islamabad became the target of death threats after his cover was blown.

The station chief, the official said, was recalled to CIA headquarters because "terrorist threats against him in Pakistan were of such a serious nature that it would be imprudent not to act.” — PTI

Washington, December 18
Bank of America was quoted as saying late on Friday that it was joining other financial institutions in declining to process payments to WikiLeaks, which has angered US authorities with the mass release of US diplomatic cables.

“Bank of America joins in the actions previously announced by MasterCard, PayPal, Visa Europe and others and will not process transactions of any type that we have reason to believe are intended for WikiLeaks,” the bank said in a statement, quoted by McClatchy Newspapers. No one at Bank of America was immediately available to comment. — Reuters

Pakistan and China have signed around $30 billion trade and investment and flood relief assistance deals, as Wen Jiabao became the first Chinese premier in five years to visit Islamabad.

The two countries signed 13 agreements and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in fields including energy, rail transport, reconstruction, agriculture and culture, information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters.

"China will provide assistance in 36 projects in Pakistan to be completed in five years... Basically this is a five-year development plan," the Dawn quoted Kaira, as saying.

Although the deals are vitally important to the moribund Pakistani economy, they pale into comparison with Jiabao's agreement in Pakistan's archrival India on Thursday, where New Delhi and Beijing agreed to double bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2015.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by Pakistani premier Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday, the visiting Chinese premier said both countries were good neighbours and had marched ahead through thick and thin.

“Our relationship has gone beyond bilateral ties and moved into the strategic sphere,” Wen said. Gilani said the two countries share the ideals of a safe, secure and prosperous neighbourhood and a region free from strife and conflict.“We want this vision to be translated into reality,” he added.

Jiabao said he was delighted to return to Pakistan after five years. The two sides will hold a series of events next year to further strengthen their ties for an enduring strategic partnership, he added.

The Chinese Premier said China would expand pragmatic cooperation with Pakistan to bring about tangible benefits to the Pakistani people and increase Pakistan’s self-development capability.

Melbourne, December 18
Despite his “traumatic” ordeal in the country after he was wrongly implicated in a botched UK terror attack, Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef still feels Australia is “a very fair place” to live and work .

Haneef (31), who arrived in Brisbane for mediation talks for his hefty compensation claims against the Australian government, said the terrorism charges were a “traumatic experience” for him and his family and impacted his career and reputation.

“This mediation process is all about some practical recognition of how this has affected my family, of me, my reputation internationally and my career,” Haneef said in a statement in Brisbane.

Haneef, who was working at the Gold Coast Hospital before his arrest in 2007, still looks forward to return to practice in Australia. “It's too late to expect that now,” he said about a personal apology.

“(The arrest) was a traumatic experience for me and my family as a whole. It has impacted on all areas of my life, especially on my career and my reputation,” he said. However, he said Australia was “a very fair place” to live and that he had enjoyed his work in the country.

Haneef said he was still considering returning to Australia with his wife Firdous and three-year-old daughter Haniyah, but would not be drawn on whether this was dependent on any settlement from the government. — PTI