November 15, 2007 (LPAC)--In what cannot be interpreted any other way than one which is alarming Pakistani military officers, the Pentagon, through its announcement of November 14, has made sure that the United States sees Pakistan's security situation deteriorating in the near future. Speaking to the media, Pentagon spokesman, Geoff Morrell said: "The U.S. military is looking at alternate routes to send supplies to troops in Afghanistan in case the political crisis in Pakistan makes current supply lines unavailable."

The American military sends 75% of its supplies for the Afghanistan war through or over Pakistan, including 40% of the fuel sent to troops, the Defense Department said.

This statement of Morrell is particularly intriguing in light of the fact that the number two of the State Department, John Negroponte, arrives in Pakistan on November 16. His mission, perhaps the toughest one he has experienced so far, is to persuade Pakistani President Musharraf to lift the emergency, and hold free and fair elections, among other things.

It seems Morrell did not put too many eggs in the Negroponte basket, when he said: "In light of the fact that there is civil unrest in Pakistan, in light of the fact that there is a state of emergency in Pakistan, we feel it is responsible, given the importance of the Pakistani supply lines to our operations in Afghanistan, to have a contingency plan."