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| US lawmaker criticises Pakistan's unwillingness to crack down terror | | |
Washington, Sep 14 Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr,
has criticised the Pakistan government's unwillingness to crack down
on terrorists within their nation.
''I have serious concerns that unless the Pakistani government is
able to crackdown on their militant-infested borders, we will never
be able to capture Osama bin Laden and his associates and bring them
to justice,'' he said in a speech in the US House of Representatives.
Mr Pallone, who is one of the founders and former co-chair of the
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said, ''Pakistan
has become a key US ally in the war against terrorism, it is still
known to be a staging ground for terrorism.''
''General Musharraf has been praised as an important ally in the
war against terrorism, giving the impression that he and his
government share the US perception about terrorism being a shared
threat.''
He, however, said President Musharraf was only willing to fight
terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda to the extent of securing US
assistance and worldly praise. ''He is still unwilling to clamp
down on Jihadi groups within Pakistan's borders that may or may not
be connected with al-Qaeda, but are still a part of the bigger
problem,'' Mr Pallone said.
The lawmaker recalled US officials saying for some time Osama bin
Laden is believed to be in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
''In fact, every senior al-Qaeda leader who has been captured
since September 11, 2001 has been run to the ground in Pakistan.
Ironically, Pakistan is also where al-Qaeda was founded by bin Laden
in 1988,'' he said.
''The premise that bin Laden is hiding out in Pakistan has great
substance. There are thousands of US and international troops inside
neighbouring Afghanistan, but none are able to go into Pakistan.
That is because the government does not allow foreign troops on its
territory. So bin Laden is safe from US forces because they cannot
actively pursue him. Yet, Pakistan won't make a concerted effort to
find him either,'' Mr Pallone said.
''To make things worse,'' Mr Pallone pointed out, ''Pakistan has
signed a truce with militants in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border
region; an area that is believed to be harbouring bin Laden and
other
al-Qaeda surviving leadership. It is also where the Taliban
originally emerged. The agreement allows the militants to remain in
the area as long as they promise to halt attacks.''
''The US must proceed with caution with Pakistan. Even though it
has helped in the capture of some of al-Qaeda's leadership, these
efforts are nothing more than superficial attempts at camaraderie,''
he said.
''The fact remains, Pakistan cannot be wholly trusted as a
legitimate supporter of US goals and interests in South Asia, until
it proactively disarms all militias and dismantles the Jihad
infrastructure,'' he said.
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