Mullen stresses Pakistan importance; military ties

WASHINGTON: Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman Joint Chief Staff, has underscored the "criticality" of U.S.-Pakistan military ties and said he has strong professional relationship with Pakistani military leadership.

"From my perspective, nothing's changed in terms of the criticality of the relationship, which is one of the reasons that I've worked it so hard," Mullen said of the ties between the two countries at a Pentagon Press Conference.

Responding to a question about Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Mullen, who has undertaken about two dozen trips to Pakistan, said he considers General Kayani a friend.

"But it's not just the personal relationship, because I have a very strong professional relationship. Nor is mine the only relationship in our military-to-military relationship between the two countries.

Mullen noted that General Kayani cares deeply about his institution. The top American military officer cautioned against any notion of estrangement between the United States and Pakistan.

"I believe we have to be very careful now in terms of the (U.S.-Pakistan) relationship. And you know, were it to break or were we to walk away, I think it's a matter of time before the region becomes much dangerous and there would be a huge pull for us to have to return to protect our national interests."

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011