December 31, 2002	Tuesday	Shawwal 26, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 30: Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat on Monday reiterated previous government’s claim that the FBI operatives were not involved in hunting Al Qaeda supporters.

Talking to reporters here at the Parliament House he said that there was no role of the FBI in conducting raids saying neither were they given permission to do so nor have they made a request in this regard.

“All raids conducted so far have been by the local law enforcement agencies,” he observed and added that Pakistani agencies were fully equipped to hunt down the terrorists.

Referring to the allegations of “horse trading” by the government to muster support for prime minister’s confidence vote, he said that there was no truth in such accusations which was evident from the fact that Dr Sher Afgan Niazi, a vocal member of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, cast his vote in favour of Mir Zafarullah Jamali.

“There is no case pending in any court against Dr Sher Afgan and therefore it was wrong to suggest that he too was pressured,” he observed.

He also criticized the policies of the PPP by drawing the attention to, what a so-called group within the party did to their president Amin Fahim.