Pakistan's new government on Monday said it would continue to cooperate with the United States in war on terror in the larger national interest. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, however, made it clear that only Pakistani forces have the right to carry out military strikes to hunt down radical elements inside the country's borders.
"Extremism was hurting Pakistan also. That's why this government deemed it necessary to pursue the policy (of co-operating with the US)," he told the Senate here. "Our policy is not on American dictates...it is what suits us...if our national interest and their (US) objectives are coinciding, then there is no harm in it," the minister added. But Qureshi cautioned the US not to undermine the sovereignty of Pakistan."I am sure they (American) will not do any thing that weakens the basis for our co-operation," the minister said.
Mehmood, however, did not condemn a reported statement by US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte in which he said American troops deployed in Afghanistan could launch attacks inside Pakistani territory if they had credible intelligence of al Qaeda presence there.
Stability of Afghanistan was what, the minister added, could be achieved by this co-operation. "A stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan. As long as it wasn't, Pakistan suffered," Shah argued. Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmed sought a categorical announcement by the new government that any intrusion by US-led coalition forces inside Pakistan would be considered as war against the country.
But Qureshi fell short of issuing any such warning to the forces hunting down al Qaeda guerrillas and Taliban remnants in Afghanistan for seventh year now. These International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) often intrude into Pakistani territory in what they used to call hot pursuit for terrorists operating from tribal belt along with the border.
Quoting American and Pakistani media, Khurshid said 37 such intrusions and rocket attacks had targeted the country in the past. He argued that by voting against the political supporters of Musharraf, a staunch war on terror ally, masses had rejected the policy of surrendering the national integrity and the new government must act according to public sentiments.
Qureshi said the policy on this issue was clear. "No body else except Pakistani troops are allowed to carry out offensive inside the country's territorial boundaries," the minister said.
FOREIGN SECRETARY REMOVAL Shah also contradicted media reports that outgoing foreign secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan was forced to quit for his opposition to seek a United Nations probe into last year's assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto. Rather, he informed the upper house, the top diplomat himself requested to relieve him because of personal reasons.
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