Flaying the Pakistan government for its weak policies, the former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence, General (retired) Hameed Gul, said the main objective of the recent visit of Vice-President Dick Cheney was to pressurize Pakistan as US would need Islamabad's support and Balochistan territory to attack Iran.

Gul told a private TV channel that it is an American policy to use different tactics to pressurise Pakistan. He said the possible refusal of Pakistan to agree to such a plan may be the reason for the intensified pressure on Islamabad in recent days.

Gul said Pakistan was presently facing a difficult time in its history due to the weak policies of the government. Pakistan is a strong and nuclear-capable country and has impregnable defence, he added.

The former spy chief said that NATO forces have intensified their activities on Pakistan-Afghan border as they are frustrated due to their failure in Afghanistan. He said the US wanted to shift the blame of its failure in Afghanistan on Pakistan.

Gul said the US-backed Karzai government has completely failed in Afghanistan and the US has now realised that they are facing strong resistance from the Taliban.