• June 20, 2007
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Says Pakistan not going soft in war on terror

WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri said on Tuesday that Britain should not be surprised by the violent reaction in the Muslim world to the knighthood awarded to writer Salman Rushdie.

Foreign Minister Kasuri, in Washington to meet the top administration officials and lawmakers, said Britain must have found the reaction predictable. I don’t think they are surprised that Muslims are angry at the honour given to a writer who many accuse of blasphemy.

Kasuri, in an interview with The Associated Press, said the award will damage harmony between the world’s major religions.

The Holy Prophet (SAW) has a certain position among all Muslims. When we talk of a globalised world, we have to be sensitive to each othersí concerns, he said.

Kasuri said he could not comment on the statement of Religious Affairs minister Ejaz-ul-Haq because he had not read them. But he said he had been told that the minister had said something else. He did not elaborate.

In a separate interview with Cable News Network, Foreign Minister Kasuri rejected the allegation that Pakistan was going soft in the war on terror, and citing the country’s sustained and firm counter-terrorism measures over the years, he stressed that the key South Asian ally had done more than any other country in fighting terrorism.

Kasuri also dismissed the assertion that Pakistan provided sanctuary to extremists.

I strongly reject any suggestion which says that we have given sanctuary, he told Wolf Blitzer in CNN’s Situation Room while replying to a question about allegation that the Taliban had sanctuary along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.

Putting the record straight, the foreign minister reminded that the Taliban leader Mulla Omar belonged to Kandahar, which is in Afghanistan, not Pakistan and the al-Qaeda operated from within Afghanistan until 9/11.

In the bombings of Tora Bora, these people ran away. And some of them went into the tribal areas. Now, American and Pakistani intelligence are closely cooperating with each other. If there is a failure, it’s fair to say it’s a collective failure. Let’s not pin it onto Pakistan.

To another question, Kasuri wondered what more should Pakistan be doing when it had been consistently combating terrorists and lost more soldiers in fighting them in the border region than Nato and international forces combined on the Afghan side. He said Washington was not pressing Pakistan to do more but was appreciative of its efforts to curb terrorism.

I met Secretary Rice. She understands what we are doing. People who understand what we are doing don’t press, because they know how much we are doing, he stated referring to close intelligence cooperation and a high degree of trust between the two sides.

Kasuri said Pakistan’s strategic assets were safe and ruled out their falling into wrong hands. In this context, he referred to the strong command and controls the country has introduced in recent years.

ìNone. No. No reason at all. Pakistan has strong institutions –- Pakistanís nuclear weapons are in very safe hands,î he said, adding that Pakistan follows the latest procedures for safeguarding its nuclear weapons.

Responding to a question, Kasuri referred to President Musharraf’s accomplishments in the field of economy and observed: “He has done so many good things. Our economy is thriving ñ he has promised election, elections that will be free and fair. And we’ll go according to the mandate of the people.î

Asked about demonstrations over a judicial case against the chief justice, he said some of the things that are happening are because of the freedoms that Pakistan has had under President Musharraf’s government.

ìPakistan is a pluralistic society. Pakistan has a very free and a vibrant media and the credit for that, to a very large extent ñ is President Musharraf ñ when he took over there was only one channel, the Pakistan Television, PTV. That’s it. Now there are so many that I can’t count.”

Meanwhile, the foreign minister had meetings with US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and Chairman House Armed Services Committee Ike Skelton and discussed broad-based US-Pakistan relationship.

Kasuri emphasised the importance of long-term relationship between the two countries. They also reviewed the situation in Afghanistan and the ongoing cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
Source: The News
Date:6/20/2007