ISLAMABAD, 30 December 2006 — Spokeswoman of the Foreign Office Tasnim Aslam denied a statement of US official Richard Boucher that Taleban have set up a “command and control” system in Pakistan.
She told Arab News, “It is totally incorrect. We deny this statement and demand that if US administration has any intelligence report regarding the presence of any ‘command and control’ system in Pakistan it has to share the knowledge with us.” Tasnim Aslam said, “So far neither Richard Boucher nor the US administration has informed the government of Pakistan about any clandestine Taleban organization operating from Pakistan.
“There are about 3 million Afghans living in Pakistan at various refugees camps. We have registered about one million Afghans. If the US intelligence community got any fresh intelligence report it should share with Pakistan,” she added.
Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan’s tribal region is no more a sanctuary for Afghans. “Whenever we get any report the security agencies are mobilized to track down militant Taleban. She also brushed aside the charge that Pakistan’s prime intelligence outfit Inter-Services Intelligence was providing any kind of shelter or protection to militant Taleban. She said at official level Pakistan keeps close coordination with the United States.
President General Pervez Musharraf had earlier stated, “We cannot deny linkage between some retired officers of the ISI with the Taleban because in the past such officers while being in regular service were dealing with Taleban. But no serving officer has any link with Taleban.” Kabul has been accusing Pakistan’s ISI of extending support to the Taleban.
“Our Foreign Secretary Riaz Ahmad Khan had earlier suggested that if the government of Afghanistan agrees Pakistan will locate Afghan refugees inside Afghanistan,” Tasnim Aslam said.
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao too denied such development saying, “we are doing our best to weed out militant Taleban from Pakistan and instead of rendering cooperation and sharing knowledge, the Afghan leadership feels it easy to pass the buck.” He said Afghan authorities are as a matter fact doing very little to curb activities of Taleban inside Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, President Musharraf met with the US Army’s chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, yesterday to discuss boosting military cooperation in the volatile region, a senior Pakistani Army official said.
The US general discussed the “latest situation in the region, strategic issues and professional matters,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
