QUETTA, June 14: United States Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher on Thursday concurred with Pakistan that there was no evidence to suggest the presence of Taliban leader Mulla Omar in Balochistan.

Mr Boucher lauded Pakistan’s role in the ‘war against terror’, adding that Washington attached great importance to Islamabad’s role in it, according to a statement about his meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Yousuf.

The chief minister of Balochistan told the United States official that Pakistan was making all-out efforts to plug its border with Afghanistan.

Jam Yousuf rejected accusations by Kabul that Taliban leaders were hiding in Balochistan and directing the insurgency in Afghanistan from Quetta.

Jam Yousuf told Mr Boucher that the frequency of terror incidents in Balochistan had come down over the past few months, the statement said.

The chief minister also discussed the issue of Afghan refugees with Mr Boucher, saying that the presence of over one million refugees in the province had created a lot of problems. “The Pakistan government wants the Afghan refugees to go back to their country.”

Jam Yousuf said Pakistan would not allow its land to be used for terrorism. “We have installed equipment at the Chaman border with Afghanistan to stop cross-border movement of terrorists.”

Mr Boucher appreciated the steps taken by the provincial government to check the cross-border movement of terrorists, the statement said.

After the meeting, Mr

Boucher flew over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border near Chaman. He also had a meeting with officials of the Frontier Corps in Chaman.

The United States assistant secretary also visited the Friendship Gate, at the border, to see for himself the steps taken by Pakistan for stopping illegal cross-border movement.