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ISLAMABAD, Aug 26: Pakistan said on Monday that there was no question to allow the US troops to operate on its soil to carry out search operations for any hideouts of Al Qaeda or the Taliban fugitives who might have escaped to Pakistani border areas from Afghanistan.
The commander of the US Central Command, Gen Tommy Franks, reportedly said in Kabul on Sunday that he would continue his mission against (Al Qaeda and Taliban remnants) hideouts in Afghanistan and its surrounding countries “until it’s all done”.
Although he avoided saying anything about the specifics of his mission, he was further quoted to have said the “relationships that we have with the surrounding states around Afghanistan, would permit us to do our work that the (US) troops suggest needs to be done.”
Asked at his weekly news briefing whether Gen Franks’ reported statement imply that the US troops might have access into Pakistan territory in their operation against Al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives, the foreign office spokesman, Aziz Ahmad Khan, said he did not view the US commander’s statement in that light.
Mr Khan said the question to permit American troops to operate on Pakistani soil did not arise (because) “Pakistani forces are fully capable of operating against any eventuality or terrorism or aggression”. Pakistan’s cooperation with the coalition forces in Afghanistan, he said, was confined to “sharing of intelligence” from the US as far as tracking down these people (the fugitives) was concerned. He stressed that President George Bush and other leaders had applauded Pakistan’s role in this regard.
MUSHARRAF-VAJPAYEE MEETING: Asked about the possibility of a meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at the Saarc summit in Pakistan early next year, the spokesman said Pakistan had not received any request for a meeting from India.
However, he reiterated Islamabad’s offer of holding a meeting with the Indian leader at any time, at any level and at any place.
To another question, the spokesman said continued massive deployment of troops on the borders and along the Line of Control provided India the capability of creating any dangerous trouble against Pakistan and therefore only a very slight decrease in tension as perceived by the US officials, did not make any substantive change in the border tension as it had existed for about nine months.
He said for easing of tension it was necessary that the troops should be withdrawn from the borders and relocated to their peace-time positions and the bilateral talks should be resumed on all issues including the Kashmir dispute.
Answering a question, he said there was no pre-determined schedule about the likely meetings of President Musharraf with President George Bush and many other world leaders when they assemble in September for the United Nations’ annual session in New York. In such a large assemblage, meetings are usually arranged on the spot, the spokesman said, but indicated that the meeting with the US president was on the cards.
DETAINED PAKISTANIS: Replying to other questions, the spokesman said it was hoped that the repatriation of Pakistanis detained in Afghanistan would start in batches from the next week, as Kabul had informed that it had been carrying out scrutiny of those Pakistanis who were to be sent back home. As for the return of Pakistanis held in the American detention camp at the Cuban island of Guantanamo bay, it would be known after the return to Islamabad of an official team visiting the American detention centre in order to secure Pakistanis release.
