ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces are not in Pakistan to chase Al Qaeda, a Nato commander said on Tuesday. “Chasing Al Qaeda is neither our agenda nor our mandate,” Commander of the Nato Forces in Pakistan Air Commodore Andrew George Walton told Dawn at the Chaklala Airbase.

He said the Nato forces after accomplishing their short-term mission here would return to their headquarters and not travel to Afghanistan to take part in peace-keeping operations.

He rejected allegations that Nato had acquired land to establish bases in Kashmir.

“No acquisition of any land has taken place in Kashmir or any other part of Pakistan, nor will it happen in the days ahead,” he said. He said he had no funds for the purpose, which was also something beyond the mandate of the Nato forces here.

He said Nato forces were in the country by invitation of the government to provide aid and support after the October earthquake.

He said the Nato team’s mission in Pakistan was disaster relief only and it was not involved in any other issues related to the Kashmir region.

He said Nato engineers, medical personnel and helicopters would leave Pakistan after spending 90 days here. Nato had no intentions to stay here beyond the stipulated period and the withdrawal of the relief team was expected to be completed by Feb 1, 2006, he said.

He said Nato through its air bridge had flown more than 2,300 tons of tents, blankets, stoves and food to Pakistan in more than 145 flights from Europe.

Nato’s field hospital and mobile medical units in Bagh area had treated more than 3,000 patients and continued to send mobile teams into the mountains, he said. The organization’s engineers were working on roads between Arja and Bagh and on schools and medical facilities in the area, he said.

They were supporting Pakistan Army in ‘Operation Winter Race’ to set up shelters for the population living in the mountains before the snow set in, he said.