ISLAMABAD, May 31: President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that Pakistan had handed over a top Al Qaeda suspect to the United States, having completed his interrogation. Pakistan announced in May it had captured Abu Faraj Farj Al Libbi, a Libyan that US counter-terrorism agents say became Al Qaeda’s third-most important figure two years ago.
Gen Musharraf said he did not know where Al Libbi currently was, in Pakistan, or in US custody. “We have extracted all the information and intelligence from him and I presume that he may have been deported already to the US,” President Musharraf said in response to a question at a forum organised by CNN that was televised live.
“We had decided that having gathered all the information, interrogated him, we are going to deport him. We don’t want him in Pakistan,” the president added. Pakistan says Al Libbi was Al Qaeda’s operations chief and was behind two assassination attempts against Musharraf in December 2003.
Asked why Pakistan should be willing to hand over Al Libbi when he had twice tried to kill him, Gen Musharraf said: “Yes, indeed, he did attack me twice. But then there are other more important issues of his role in Al Qaeda and his information and intelligence that needs to be corroborated with all the other intelligence gathered through interrogation of other Al Qaeda personalities who we have apprehended.
“Therefore these are bigger issues involved and finally we will come to his trial later.” President Musharraf said Al Libbi had not provided any useful information that might help catch Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, alleged mastermind of the Sept 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.
He said Al Libbi had denied contacts with Osama and may have relied on a courier network, other members of which had also been arrested. “Maybe he was not in direct contact with him. It was only through the courier network that he was exchanging messages but he hasn’t told us anything about that,” Gen Musharraf said.
When told Afghan President Hamid Karzai had said Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan, Gen Musharraf described it “conjunctures”.
“I really do not know how people can give such conjunctures, I could say he is in Afghanistan. But I never say that” he said.
Gen Musharraf said it was impossible to say where Osama was.
“I say he may be on the border, he may be crossing into Afghanistan, or even coming into Pakistan, which we don’t know.
“But I cannot definitively say where he is. So I don’t believe anyone has any information definitively where he is.”
Gen Musharraf said Pakistan had arrested Al Qaeda suspects from all over the world and mostly their countries of origin refused to accept them.
“So therefore we deport them to the United States for further interrogation,” he said.
KASHMIR: During the Conference Gen Musharraf urged the United States and the Western powers to help resolve political disputes affecting the Muslim world, particularly Palestine and Kashmir, for durable peace in the world as conflict management is no more an option.
“Now is the time for conflict resolution — we have to resolve the conflicts of Palestine and Kashmir, which directly affects Pakistan,” he underlined.
The president also expressed the hope that with “good intentions and will” Pakistan and India would be able to resolve the long-standing Kashmir dispute.
“This is the first time, I personally feel that other than the joint statements that we have given, there is intention and the will on part of the leadership of both sides to resolve the disputes and not brush them under the carpet.
“If this will continues that we will resolve the disputes and not manage them by brushing them under the carpet, we will reach a conclusion.”
Referring to harmony and understanding between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and himself, the president expressed the desire that the decades-old dispute should be resolved within the span of two leaders.—Agencies