 A Pakistani official has denied that there is a link between the Musharraf government and the Taliban, as asserted by an editorial in the Wall Street Journal. Shafqat Jalil, the press counsellor at Pakistan’s permanent mission to the UN, wrote in a letter published by the newspaper on Wednesday that the attempt to link the Taliban to Pakistan’s domestic political situation was based on “incorrect information”. He wrote, “President Gen Pervez Musharraf is known for his moderate disposition, and has time and again rejected extremism and fundamentalism. Measures such as representation and empowerment of women and unprecedented freedom of press bear testimony to his liberal policies. There is no alliance with pro-Taliban forces in parliament. The ruling coalition government led by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz represents moderate political forces.”
The official said that the North Waziristan agreement was part of a policy of squeezing Uncle Sugar for cash-n-arms pursing a comprehensive approach based on military, economic and political measures. The 2,500-kilometre Pak-Afghan border was difficult to monitor and control, he added. He said that Pakistan had taken resolute action to address the cross-border insurgency in Bugtiland and the terrorist threat from those pesky Baluchs Al Qaeda. “We have made several proposals for checking cross-border movement, including the return of Afghan refugees, selective mining and fencing of the Pak-Afghan border. We’ve also requested equipment for strengthening monitoring on both sides of the border. These proposals unfortunately have not been accepted by the quarters concerned. Defeating Al Qaeda requires foremost that our assessment be acknowledged firmly in sound empirical judgment and not blinded by conjecture,” he wrote. |