The suicide bombing came against a background of concern inside Pakistan that India is trying to build up its presence in Afghanistan, which Islamabad regards as its area of influence.
The CIA’s deputy director, Stephen Kappes, visited Pakistan last month to put before the government what he claimed was evidence of links between the ISI and the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
His trip follows one in January by other senior CIA staff demanding that Pakistan does more to clamp down on the Taliban and Al Qaeda and to help track down Osama bin Laden.
The New York Times has reported US intelligence agencies had intercepted communications between ISI officers and militants who attacked the embassy.
A Pakistan government spokeswoman, Sherry Rehman, said there was no proof of ISI involvement. But she said “individuals” in the ISI are “probably acting on their own and going against official policy”, adding that the authorities “need to identify these people and weed them out”.
George Bush raised the issue at the White House earlier this week when he met the prime minister, Yousef Raza Gilani. The Bush adminstration would like to see Bin Laden captured before the president leaves office in January, and is using a mixture of incentives (it agreed to give Pakistan millions in aid last month to renovate fighter aircraft) and pressure.
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4:33 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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