DAWN.COM | Pakistan | US diplomat alleges some Al Qaeda leaders are in Quetta
PESHAWAR: A senior US diplomat on Friday went a step further than restating Washingtons assertion about the presence of Taliban shura in Quetta and insisted that some Al Qaeda leadership could also be there.
Our intelligence shows that some of the Al Qaeda leadership is in Pakistan, Candace Putnam, the US consul-general in Peshawar told a media roundtable here.
I dont know where Osama bin Laden is on any given day, but we do know that some of the leadership is sitting in Quetta and that they travel back and forth from Afghanistan to Pakistan, she said.
We know that they are there. And I think your government also knows this. Whether they want to say this in public or not but I think they know they are there, she added.
The latest claim adds a new dimension to the stated US position about the presence of Taliban shura in Quetta, something Pakistan has been strenuously denying.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that the White House had authorized an expansion of the Central Intelligence Agencys drone programme in the tribal region and that American officials are talking to Pakistan to explore the possibility of striking in Balochistan.
The expanded authorisation, it added, paralleled President Obamas decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The US diplomat however, declined to speak about the drone attacks.
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit described Candaces statement as speculation and misleading.
This is but sheer speculation. If there is any credible information, it should be shared with us through government channels rather than making misleading statements through the media, the spokesman said.
Pakistans own intelligence, he added, indicated that the Taliban leadership was in Afghanistan.
'Otherwise, they would have long been handled, given our unflinching commitment against violent extremism. Our actions against terrorism speak for themselves, Abdul Basit said.
The US diplomat, however, praised the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps for operations in Swat and the tribal regions, but acknowledged that both countries needed to work to overcome trust-deficit.
The Taliban were a threat to both the countries, she said. We share a common goal.
The consul general said US intelligence had indicated that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda were collaborating and working together.
She said that National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones was in Pakistan recently, offering to renew and strengthen relationship between the two countries by taking into account Pakistans concerns about the threats it faced and its concerns about Afghanistan and India.
I think we have begun a dialogue. We have not laid down any you must do or else. This is the beginning of the dialogue. But part of the dialogue is trying to close the trust-deficit and convince Pakistan that we really are a long time partner.
She said that the United States was very encouraged by Pakistan Armys progress against extremism in Fata and in Swat.
We would like to see more. I would say that we are asking more out of American soldiers. We are asking more out of American tax-payers. We are asking more from Afghanistan and so the (US) President asks more from a lot of people to move forward on this relationship, she maintained.
Asked about President Obamas statement in his speech about Al Qaeda wanting to seize Pakistans nuclear weapons, Candace said the fact remained that Pakistan had nuclear weapons and that Al Qaeda wanted to seize them.
We know Pakistan has nuclear weapons and we know that Al Qaeda wants nuclear weapons.
She denied that Barrack Obama had ever said the Taliban or Al Qaeda had the capacity to take Pakistans nuclear weapons. In fact we believe that Pakistans nuclear weapons are secure.
But she maintained that the United States did not want Taliban or Al Qaeda to acquire the capability to get nuclear weapons. This will be a disaster for you, for us, for everyone.
She said that the operations in almost the entire tribal regions demonstrated that the militants had influence and pockets of control in Pakistan. It is a concern.
She said that the United States had been successful in removing some of the Al Qaeda leadership. But increasingly, she added, the United States had found that Al Qaeda was working with the Taliban, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Jaish-i-Mohammad, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and the TTP.
These organizations, she said, were supporting and cooperating with each other in a variety of ways.
She acknowledged the Taliban were resurgent in Afghanistan. There is no question about that, she said. And the Taliban connection with Al Qaeda meant that if the puritanical militia ever got into power again, Al Qaeda would be back in Afghanistan.
PESHAWAR: A senior US diplomat on Friday went a step further than restating Washingtons assertion about the presence of Taliban shura in Quetta and insisted that some Al Qaeda leadership could also be there.
Our intelligence shows that some of the Al Qaeda leadership is in Pakistan, Candace Putnam, the US consul-general in Peshawar told a media roundtable here.
I dont know where Osama bin Laden is on any given day, but we do know that some of the leadership is sitting in Quetta and that they travel back and forth from Afghanistan to Pakistan, she said.
We know that they are there. And I think your government also knows this. Whether they want to say this in public or not but I think they know they are there, she added.
The latest claim adds a new dimension to the stated US position about the presence of Taliban shura in Quetta, something Pakistan has been strenuously denying.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that the White House had authorized an expansion of the Central Intelligence Agencys drone programme in the tribal region and that American officials are talking to Pakistan to explore the possibility of striking in Balochistan.
The expanded authorisation, it added, paralleled President Obamas decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The US diplomat however, declined to speak about the drone attacks.
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit described Candaces statement as speculation and misleading.
This is but sheer speculation. If there is any credible information, it should be shared with us through government channels rather than making misleading statements through the media, the spokesman said.
Pakistans own intelligence, he added, indicated that the Taliban leadership was in Afghanistan.
'Otherwise, they would have long been handled, given our unflinching commitment against violent extremism. Our actions against terrorism speak for themselves, Abdul Basit said.
The US diplomat, however, praised the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps for operations in Swat and the tribal regions, but acknowledged that both countries needed to work to overcome trust-deficit.
The Taliban were a threat to both the countries, she said. We share a common goal.
The consul general said US intelligence had indicated that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda were collaborating and working together.
She said that National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones was in Pakistan recently, offering to renew and strengthen relationship between the two countries by taking into account Pakistans concerns about the threats it faced and its concerns about Afghanistan and India.
I think we have begun a dialogue. We have not laid down any you must do or else. This is the beginning of the dialogue. But part of the dialogue is trying to close the trust-deficit and convince Pakistan that we really are a long time partner.
She said that the United States was very encouraged by Pakistan Armys progress against extremism in Fata and in Swat.
We would like to see more. I would say that we are asking more out of American soldiers. We are asking more out of American tax-payers. We are asking more from Afghanistan and so the (US) President asks more from a lot of people to move forward on this relationship, she maintained.
Asked about President Obamas statement in his speech about Al Qaeda wanting to seize Pakistans nuclear weapons, Candace said the fact remained that Pakistan had nuclear weapons and that Al Qaeda wanted to seize them.
We know Pakistan has nuclear weapons and we know that Al Qaeda wants nuclear weapons.
She denied that Barrack Obama had ever said the Taliban or Al Qaeda had the capacity to take Pakistans nuclear weapons. In fact we believe that Pakistans nuclear weapons are secure.
But she maintained that the United States did not want Taliban or Al Qaeda to acquire the capability to get nuclear weapons. This will be a disaster for you, for us, for everyone.
She said that the operations in almost the entire tribal regions demonstrated that the militants had influence and pockets of control in Pakistan. It is a concern.
She said that the United States had been successful in removing some of the Al Qaeda leadership. But increasingly, she added, the United States had found that Al Qaeda was working with the Taliban, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Jaish-i-Mohammad, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and the TTP.
These organizations, she said, were supporting and cooperating with each other in a variety of ways.
She acknowledged the Taliban were resurgent in Afghanistan. There is no question about that, she said. And the Taliban connection with Al Qaeda meant that if the puritanical militia ever got into power again, Al Qaeda would be back in Afghanistan.
