Pakistan is an ally of the United States in its war on terrorism but cannot abide US strikes on militants within its borders, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Sunday.
"We do not allow any country to violate our sovereignty. We are committed to fighting terrorism but it has to be fought together," Shaukat Aziz said on CNN's "Late Edition" program.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan does not allow drone attacks and that foreign strikes were unacceptable to a nation that has voiced its commitment for US President George W. Bush's world-wide campaign.
"We are totally capable of taking care of activities within our borders and we do not encourage or allow any country to violate this understanding," Shaukat said.
Shaukat also said there was a "fair element of truth" to US media reports about a US predator strike in Pakistan in January, which was purportedly aimed at al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri but had missed its target.
"It's very difficult to say who was there because...the individual in question got away," Shaukat said. "Clearly indications from various intelligence sources was that there are high-value targets there."
"We have no clue where he is," Shaukat said. "If he were ever in our territory and we found out, we would go after him."
The Prime Minister also said the Afghan government is wrong to assert that Taliban insurgents are now being directed from within Pakistan.
"We understand that the command and control network of the Taliban is very much deep inside Afghanistan," he said.
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