DAVOS, 24 January 2004 — President Pervez Musharraf said yesterday that thanks to the strong pursuit by his country’s forces in the border region with Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda had been rendered an “ineffective” group that was “on the run”.
At a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Musharraf categorically ruled out any deployment of US forces on the Pakistani side of the border in operating against either Al-Qaeda or Taleban elements,
With Pakistani forces and intelligence operatives working effectively against Al-Qaeda, the group’s underground and personal networks had been severely hampered.
“Therefore it is an ineffective organization,” Musharraf said about Al-Qaeda. “They are hiding and on the run.”
Asked whether the efforts against the groups could see the deployment of US forces in Pakistan, he stated: “No sir, that is not a possibility at all.”
Musharraf, who has survived two assassination attempts, said the threats to his life were due to the strong efforts against Al-Qaeda and the Taleban.
“I am treading on their toes and so they are a danger to me,” the Pakistani president said, avowing that the vast majority of his countrymen supported his stance against the groups, with only a “minority of extremists” who are opposed.
Regarding the peace process with India, Musharraf said talks would begin in February, with the two countries’ foreign offices now discussing the venue and at which level the talks would take place.
He said that a “good beginning” had been made with India and that now the talks would require “boldness” for the two countries to resolve their differences on Kashmir and other issues.
He said that he hoped the talks would be held “frequently” with few gaps in between the rounds and that he would do his utmost to help the talks to succeed.
“I’m willing to go forward,” Musharraf said, adding that he hoped that Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee “feels the same way”.
Musharraf also said it appeared Pakistani scientists had sold nuclear secrets abroad, but reiterated Islamabad’s position that there had been no official involvement.
Pakistan says it began questioning its nuclear scientists, including the father of its atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, after the UN nuclear agency began investigating possible links between the Pakistani and Iranian nuclear programs.
Musharraf told CNN that the investigation, launched in November, would be finished in “a few weeks”.
Asked the likely outcome, he replied: “Well, I would not like to predict, but it appears that some individuals, as I said, were involved for personal financial gain.”
Musharraf went further than past statements from his government that individual scientists “may” have transferred nuclear technology to neighboring Iran.
He said similar allegations had been made against European individuals and countries. “So it is not Pakistan alone”.
And he stressed: “There is no such evidence that any government personality or military personality was involved in this at all.”
Asked about reports that Pakistani scientists had also transferred technology to Libya and North Korea, he replied: “I am not denying anything because we are investigating; we have sent teams to Libya, we have sent teams to Iran and we are in contact with the IAEA (the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency). We are collecting all the data...”
He vowed “stern action” against violators: “There is nothing that we want to hide, we want to be very up and clear about it that we will move against anybody who proliferated,” he said.
Pakistan would move against any violator “because they are enemies of the state”, he said.
The United States suspects Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb under cover of an atomic energy program Tehran insists is purely peaceful.
Nuclear programs in Iran, North Korea and Libya have all intensified Western concern that one or more of the countries could join the “nuclear club”, although Libya announced late last year it would cooperate with the United States and Britain in dismantling its weapons programs.
IAEA chief Mohamed El-Baradei was asked in Davos on Thursday about reports that nuclear knowhow and technology may have reached Iran or Libya from Pakistan and replied: “I think what we know is that there have been individuals involved. I do not want to jump to conclusions and say a government is involved.”
Two Dutch ministers said on Monday there were “indications” North Korea and Libya may have acquired potentially arms-related nuclear technology developed by British-Dutch-German consortium Urenco that Pakistan and Iran are known to possess. Western diplomats have said Pakistani individuals may have helped both Tripoli and Pyongyang obtain the technology, in addition to Tehran.
Abdul Qadeer Khan worked for Urenco in the 1970s. After his return to Pakistan in the 1980s he was sentenced in absentia by an Amsterdam court to four years’ jail for attempted espionage, a decision later overturned on appeal.
Musharraf yesterday fended off criticism that his government had failed to reform Islamic schools blamed for inculcating religious extremism and inciting militancy.
He acknowledged that progress had been slow on a pledge he made two years ago to register the schools, known as madrasas, control their funding and introduce the state curriculum.
But he told the World Economic Forum in Davos that the policy remained firmly in place to reform the schools that provide board, lodging and religious instruction to as many as 1.5 million students, drawn mainly from poor families.
“We are in the process of doing it,” Musharraf said. “Yes, I agree it is moving slowly, but we haven’t given it up.
“It’s not that we have given it up because there are some compulsions. There are no compulsions on us,” he said, apparently referring to pressure from religious parties.
