January 29, 2003	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 25,1423

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ISLAMABAD: US Central Command chief Gen Tommy Franks sought greater military cooperation from Pakistan in his meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf at the GHQ on Monday, informed sources told Dawn on Tuesday.

The Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Gen Mohammed Yusaf Khan, and the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Mohammed Aziz Khan, also attended the meeting in which Pakistan’s top brass had a comprehensive exchange with Gen Franks and his team on the US- led military operation in Afghanistan.

“The Americans conveyed to the president the US government’s concern over the slow pace of progress in nabbing Al Qaeda men,” sources privy to the talks said. The CENTCOM was criticized at home for its inability to break the Al Qaeda network and net a greater number of its members.

“The US basically wants Pakistan to deploy more troops to seal the border with Afghanistan to check Al Qaeda,” a senior military official said.

Pakistan already had deployed an unprecedented number of troops (more than 70,000) along the Durand Line. Sustained tension at the country’s eastern borders had meanwhile kept up the pressure on the Pakistani military.

The Musharraf-Franks talks acquired special significance in the backdrop of the border clash between Pakistan and US troops last month and the heightened American nervousness in Afghanistan because of the increased attacks on US forces there.

Reliable sources said that the local military commander of the border area, where the clash occurred, also attended the meeting to present Pakistan’s perspective on the incident. Both sides emphasized the need for better liaison and coordination, sources added.

The controversy over the US forces’ right to hot pursuit was also reportedly taken up. “Pakistan completely ruled out giving American troops permission for hot pursuit into its territory,” said a senior defence official.

Informed sources in fact believed that Gen Franks’ visit was basically prompted by the tension created between the two sides due to the border clash. After his meeting at the GHQ, Gen Franks left for Bagram, officials said.

While no firm decision on the proposed timing of joint Pakistan-US military exercises was taken, Pakistan agreed in principle to hold such exercises, military sources said.

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