WASHINGTON, July 9: The Bush administration wants Pakistan to capture 'high-profile Al Qaeda or Taliban targets' before the US presidential election, preferably during an opposition convention, a prominent American magazine reported on Friday.
The New Republic magazine quoted senior Pakistani intelligence officials as having told its correspondents that the US pressure was so strong that the Pakistan government was 'really desperate' to catch Osama bin Laden and his senior associates before the November elections in the United States.
According to the publication, a White House aide told Pakistani officials that "it would be best if the arrest or killing of a high-value target was announced on 26th, 27th or 28th July".
A liberal think tank in Washington, the Centre for American Progress, is citing the report as evidence to vindicate a view that the Bush administration is attempting to politicize the war on terror to its advantage.
