| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| Government appeals to Pakistanis for help locating al-Qaida |
| 2002-06-30 |
| Calling them "dangerous religious terrorists," the Pakistani government made a public appeal Sunday for help in finding Osama bin Laden, his top aide and 16 other al-Qaida members. So soon? It's only been eight months... The statement features photographs of bin Laden and 17 others including his chief deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri. It urges people not to support jihad, or Islamic holy war, if it includes terrorist acts. "Those who kill innocent Pakistani people are the enemy of peace and country," the Urdu-language statement says. "Their purpose is terrorism and destruction. Their religion is only terrorism. Terrorism is not jihad. Support the Pakistani government against terrorism." Still working on that distinction between jihad and terrorism, but they're getting closer... It includes quotes in Arabic from the Quran, denouncing terrorism and urges people with information about terrorists to contact police, who would treat sources and information as confidential. No reward money was offered. The statement was distributed to local and international news outlets late Saturday, and was carried in the Sunday edition of the Daily Jang newspaper in the southern city of Karachi. The statement was not carried in major newspapers - including Jang - printed in the capital, Islamabad. One little shootout with the coppers and suddenly Perv's all bent out of shape. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |