Pakistan's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "We've never really fully articulated what our strategy towards Pakistan is. It bristles at US claims that Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate, has ties to Haqqani network militants blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan. But it's not an ally," said Bruce Riedel, a Pakistan expert at the Brookings Institution.But yanking the title would be seen by Pakistan as a major blow. The United States designated the Haqqani network as a terrorist organization in 2012.

Source: Economic Times June 20, 2017 05:26 UTC