ISLAMABAD: Pakistan insisted yesterday it has not made a deal allowing the US to fire missiles at militant hide-outs in Pakistani territory after an American newspaper quoted the president as suggesting otherwise.
President Asif Ali Zardari also told The Wall Street Journal that “India has never been a threat” to his country, and called militant groups in the disputed Kashmir region “terrorists.”
The reported comments could undermine Zardari just a month into his presidency, especially with Pakistan’s powerful military. Pakistan’s army traditionally views India as its No. 1 enemy and has denied making any agreement with the US on cross-border operations.
The newspaper paraphrased Zardari as saying the US has been carrying out missile strikes on Pakistani soil with his government’s consent.
“We have an understanding, in the sense that we’re going after an enemy together,” it then quotes him as saying. The interview appeared Saturday.
However, commenting on statements in The Wall Street Journal, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said Zardari had not given any form of consent for US or allied forces to carry out strikes inside Pakistan. “At no point will the president or this government compromise on Pakistan’s sovereignty.”
She added: “The president has never called the legitimate struggle of Kashmiris an expression of terrorism, nor has he downplayed the sufferings of the Kashmiris. All his statements on India should be viewed in context of Pakistan’s current bilateral relations with that country.”
The US has long carried out missile strikes against suspected Al-Qaeda and Taleban hideouts in the northwest, but a recent surge in the attacks has prompted official Pakistani condemnation.
Washington complains that Pakistan is unwilling or unable to take strong action against the extremists.
Traditional archrivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two over the status of Kashmir, a region claimed by both countries.
