ISLAMABAD, 8 May 2006 — Pakistan yesterday rejected remarks by a senior US security official that Islamabad was not doing enough to help flush out Taleban and Al-Qaeda leaders from its territory.
US State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism Henry Crumpton said in Kabul on Saturday that most of the Taleban and Al-Qaeda leadership had found safe haven in Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt that borders Afghanistan.
While the United States did not know where Osama Bin Laden was hiding, the Al-Qaeda leader was probably on the Pakistani side of the Afghan border, he said. Pakistani military spokesmen, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, denounced the remarks.
“He (Crumpton) came here and met Pakistani officials and praised Pakistan’s role in the war on terror. He did not mention these things. “But, going there and making such a statement is a highly irresponsible act. We condemn such media projections,” Sultan told Reuters.
“This is an absurd and irresponsible statement,” he told AFP. “Has Pakistan done enough? I think the answer is ‘no’,” Crumpton was quoted in media reports as saying in Afghanistan on Saturday.
Crumpton also reportedly said the Taleban and Al-Qaeda leadership, including Bin Laden, were mainly based in Pakistan and “the Pakistanis know that.”
The US official, who was in Kabul after talks in Islamabad with Interior Ministry officials, said there were still areas of Pakistan that were a “safe haven” for militants.
“In case they have specific intelligence about Bin Laden and anyone else, then it has to be shared with us. By speaking to the media like this, you do not help the cause. Rather it goes in favor of terrorists,” Sultan said. “We hope that such irresponsible statements are avoided in future.”
Talking to Arab News Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said he was surprised at what Crumpton said in Kabul. “He was here a day earlier and he could have let us know and shared intelligence about the whereabouts of Bin Laden”. Sherpao said the US official not only expressed satisfaction over Pakistan’s efforts in fighting terrorism but also praised Islamabad’s role in the war on terror.
Sultan said US officials should pass on information about the whereabouts of Bin Laden to Pakistani authorities instead of making statements through the media.
“He (Bin Laden) can’t be caught by such statements. They should share intelligence with us, if they have, so we can take action.”
In Kabul, Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said yesterday Pakistan could do more in the fight against terrorism.
Spanta sworn in last week, however, said that his country appreciated Pakistan’s cooperation against Taleban and Al-Qaeda militants trying to topple the Afghan government.
