US claim on Al Qaeda fugitives rejected

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: The Director-General ISPR, Major-General Rashid Qureshi, on Monday said the United States has no proof to substantiate its claim about the presence of Al Qaeda elements in Pakistan.

Responding to the latest statement of a US general, Gen Qureshi in a BBC Radio’s Urdu programme Sairbeen said: “We are hearing this statement for the first time. May be they have estimated on their own and are conjecturing.”

He said the United States officials themselves have admitted that they have no proof to substantiate their claim.

He said whenever Al Qaeda elements have entered into Pakistan, they were either captured or killed.

Gen Qureshi said if the US forces could not find the remnants of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan it does not mean that they are in Pakistan.

To a question, he said about 400 Al Qaeda elements or terrorists were arrested by Pakistani law enforcement agencies.

He also said all the terrorists, who carried out attacks on US Consulate in Karachi, Murree Christian School, or Taxila Christian Hospital, were either killed or captured.

He said we are investigating to know to which group these people belonged. Whenever we will establish their link with any organization, the information will be made public.

“According to the information gathered by us until now, these terrorists have no link with Al Qaeda,” he added. —APP

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