WASHINGTON, April 29: The US State Department on Thursday absolved Pakistan of all charges of supporting terrorism and praised the country as "one of America's most important partners" in the war against terror.
The report on Pakistan, released with the "Patterns of Global Terrorism" report for 2003, does not have a single negative observation and generously acknowledges the difficulties the country faces in fighting terrorism.
"Pakistan continues to be one of the United States' most important partners in the global coalition against terrorism. President Pervez Musharraf has himself been the target of terrorist violence, narrowly escaping two assassination attempts in late 2003," it points out.
The report contrasts sharply with the observations of the US ambassador in Kabul, Zalmay Khalilzad, who often accuses Pakistan of allowing the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists to operate from its territory.
It also ignores Mr Khalilzad's claim that the terrorists are particularly active in the tribal belt along the Pakistan-Afghan border and notes that Pakistan is conducting operations in that region, "capturing and killing a number of terrorist operatives."
The United States, the report says, is assisting Pakistan's efforts to establish a government presence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and eliminate terrorist safe havens.
The State Department also acknowledges the help the United States has received in the fight against terrorism from Pakistan. "Pakistan's military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies are cooperating closely with the United States and other nations to identify, interdict, and eliminate terrorism both within Pakistan and abroad."
The report recalls that Pakistan has apprehended "hundreds of suspected operatives" of terrorist groups and handed them over to the United States. Among those captured in 2003 were Khalid Shaikh Mohammad - the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks - and Walid Bin Attash - a prime suspect in the attack on the USS Cole in October 2002.
The US State Department points out that when several militant and sectarian groups that had been banned in 2002 began operating under new aliases, the Pakistani government banned them as well.
"Pursuant to its obligations under (relevant) UN Security Council resolutions Pakistan continues to work with the UN Sanctions Committee to freeze the assets of individuals and groups identified as terrorist entities linked to Al Qaeda or the Taliban," the report says.
Pakistan also had signed 11 of the 12 international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism and is a party to 10, the report adds. The State Department's anti-terrorism experts note that Pakistani courts continue to respond to both international and domestic cases of terrorism.
"In April 2003, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi convicted four defendants charged with organizing the bombing of the US Consulate in June 2002 in Karachi and, in June 2003, convicted three men charged with the bombing in May 2002 that killed 11 French naval technicians," the report says.
"In November 2003, the same court handed down death sentences for three members of the banned extremist groups Lashkar-i-Jhangvi for planning and committing sectarian murders."
Reviewing Pakistan's cooperation in the war against terror, the report observes: "The US-Pakistan joint counter terrorism efforts have been extensive. They include cooperative efforts in border security and criminal investigations, as well as several long-term training projects." In 2002, the United States and Pakistan established the working group on counter terrorism and law enforcement cooperation.
