Alleged training of Taliban: foreign office rejects BBC series’ ‘assertions’
ALI HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday strongly rejected ‘assertions’ made in a BBC series ‘Secret Pakistan’, a documentary accusing the country’s military and premier spy agency, ISI, of training and arming the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan strongly rejects assertions made in the BBC series ‘Secret Pakistan'”, said Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua, reacting to the BBC documentary based on interviews of alleged middle-ranking Taliban leaders accusing Pakistan of playing a ‘double game’ by secretly training and providing arms to its enemy in Afghanistan while acting as US ally, in public.
“The series makes baseless and fabricated allegations”, Tehmina said, adding that Pakistan has borne the brunt of terrorist violence, including suicide attacks, and fiction such as those depicted in the series cannot belittle Pakistan’s sacrifices and contribution in countering terrorism.
A day before, Pakistan military also strongly denied the allegations made in the documentary.
“I completely reject this; it is wrong and baseless,” Director-General, ISPR, Major General Athar Abbas, told a foreign news agency.
The BBC series, already strongly dismissed by Pakistan Foreign Office and military, is based on the interviews of middle-ranking Taliban commanders, alleging ISI for “practical guidance” and training in bomb-making.
In an interview of the series, Mulla Azizullah, a purported middle-ranking Taliban commander, told BBC, “They are all ISI men.
They are the ones who run the training.
First they train us about bombs; then they give us practical guidance.
Their generals are everywhere.
They are present during the training.”
Source: Business Recorder
Date:10/31/2011
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