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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Mullah Omar in Pakistan, Pakistanis deny |
| 2005-06-22 |
| Pakistan on Wednesday urged the outgoing U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan to share information on the whereabouts of fugitive Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar, days after the envoy said he was "more likely" in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said Pakistani security forces and intelligence agencies were "playing a proactive role" in the hunt for terror suspects but they have no information on the location of Omar - among the most wanted terror suspects sought by the United States. In an interview last week with Afghanistan's independent Ayna Television, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said, "It is more likely that Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders are in Pakistan (than in Afghanistan)." Sherpao responded: "If he (Khalilzad) has any such information, instead of leveling allegations, he should pass that on to us." The bilateral tensions prompted a telephone discussion Tuesday between Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai. Musharraf also spoke by phone with President Bush. Afghanistan claims the infiltration of militants has contributed to a surge in violence. Recent fighting in southern and eastern Afghanistan has left hundreds dead, threatening legislative elections due in September. Afghan officials said that on Sunday, their intelligence agents captured three Pakistanis armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles who planned to assassinate Khalilzad at a road inauguration in Afghanistan's northeastern Laghman province. Khalilzad called off his appearance at the event. He left his post in Kabul this week to become the new U.S. ambassador in Iraq. Sherpao said that Afghanistan has not officially given Pakistan any details about the three suspects. Asked if Pakistan has sought any information about them, the minister said, "Why should we do it? It's still (just) a media report." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 The ISI will just get the intel and help Mullah Omar move to a safe place, if we give Pakistan any information. We are dealing with a an ally of multiple personalities in Pakistan. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-06-22 16:44 |