ISLAMABAD: With public resentment against clandestine activities of some American organizations growing, Pakistan has shut down a US-supervised anti-terrorism camp at Sihala, located between the federal capital and the country’s nuclear facility at Kahuta, a senior Interior Ministry official told Arab News on Friday.
“Instruction have been issued to the departments concerned to close the camp at Sihala ,”the official said on condition of anonymity.
He said: “Although it was a mere training facility for the elite force of Pakistan, some political parties have been opposing it. Therefore, the prime minister himself took up the matter and sent direct instructions to the Interior Ministry for the closure of the camp at Sihala. It’s not the issue of the joint training program but the location of the camp created a hue and cry.” Under an arrangement with Washington, Pakistan began training its forces in anti-terrorism operations at the Sihala Police Training College in 2003. The official said: “Anti-terrorism training facilities are now being shifted to the capital’s Diplomatic Enclave and some other places.”
The Interior Ministry confirmed Friday that official orders have been conveyed to the US government, the police and the General Headquarters of Army.
The revelation came as a suspected US missile struck a car carrying alleged militants in a northwestern Pakistan’s tribal region on Friday, killing three men, the second such strike in two days. The rising insecurity inside Pakistan, meanwhile, is prompting the United Nations to relocate about a quarter of its international staff in the country, officials confirmed Thursday.
Both missile strikes occurred in North Waziristan, a lawless tribal region along the Afghan border, which is home to several militant groups that tend to focus on attacking US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The one on Friday happened near Mir Ali, a major town in the region, two intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity.
Shortly after Friday’s attack, Taleban arrived at the scene of the attack in the village of Ghundi and moved the bodies to an undisclosed location, the officials said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s commercial capital nearly shut down Friday as religious and political leaders called for a strike to protest against violence after a suicide bomber killed 43 people at a religious procession this week.
The Taleban claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack on a huge crowd of Shiites and threatened more bloodshed.
The prospect of increased violence comes at a trying time for President Asif Ali Zardari, who faces political heat because corruption charges against some of his aides may be revived.
The pro-American leader has vowed to defeat the Taleban and Al-Qaeda but they remain defiant, killing hundreds of people in bombings since October despite facing major government offensives.
On a visit to Karachi on Friday, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said militant groups were harming Pakistan. “They are hired assassins. They are enemies of Pakistan. They are enemies of Islam,” he told reporters.
While many Pakistanis object to the violence, they are also frustrated with the government’s inability to stabilize the nuclear power.
— With input from agencies
