Pakistan’s top diplomat said on Saturday there are no US or other foreign military personnel on the hunt for Osama bin Laden in his country, and none will be allowed in to search for the al-Qaeda leader.
In an interview, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said his nation’s new government has ruled out such military operations, covert or otherwise, to catch militants.
“Our government’s policy is that our troops, paramilitary forces and our regular forces are deployed in sufficient numbers. They are capable of taking action there. And any foreign intrusion would be counterproductive,” he said on Saturday. “People will not accept it. Questions of sovereignty come in.”
The US has grown increasingly frustrated as al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other militants thrive in Pakistan’s remote areas and in neighboring Afghanistan, and has offered US troops to strike at terror networks. Critics in Washington have also expressed frustration with the new Pakistani government’s pursuit of peace deals in the region. Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.
Pakistan’s newly elected civilian government is negotiating with tribal elders to secure peace with militants along the Afghan border in hopes of curbing a surge in violence. It is a step back from the heavy-handed tactics pursued by the previous government led by supporters of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
Tension between the US and Pakistan have been high after Pakistan said US aircraft killed 11 of its soldiers at a border post last month. US officials have said coalition aircraft dropped bombs during a clash with militants.
Despite Pakistan’s previous statements that it does not allow US forces on its territory, villagers in the border region that is a haven for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters have reported seeing US drones fire missiles at suspected militant targets on several occasions in recent years.
Qureshi said he tried to reassure US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at their meeting on Friday that his government was doing everything it could to combat militants in lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan and Afghanistan regularly exchange criticism about not doing more to fight extremists operating along their long, remote, mountainous border that is seen by the US as crucial to stopping terrorism.
Qureshi acknowledged “there are some infiltrations” still occurring, but there are no covert US military operations trying to catch al-Qaeda figures and its chief, Taliban members or any other suspected militants.
“There are none,” he said. “It will create such an anti-US feeling in Pakistan that I would say would mar the atmosphere of cooperation that exists between us.”
Qureshi described Pakistan’s counterterrorism as a “grassroots” approach.
“Our strategy is that the military option alone is not enough,” he said. “This war has to be fought besides the armies, with the help of the people, by winning hearts and minds.”
Does he believe bin Laden is in Pakistan?
“I don’t think so. I’m not sure,” he said. “Nobody’s aware of that. Nobody can speak with certainty. But our policy’s very clear. We are allies in this war. And if Pakistan has actionable information vis-a-vis Osama bin laden or any other high value target, Pakistan will immediately take action.”
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese