Ambassador Jehangir Karamat on Sunday categorically said that it was not really troops being pulled out of the tribal areas on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, as being portrayed by a section of the media, but, the strategy was to "alternative intelligence and military operations, in the situation like that". "They're going to be right there," he made it clear, adding that the troops would be in "a ready to react" gear-capable to respond "at very very short notice."
Responding to question by live FOX primetime news discussion programme, Karamat said the deployed troops had been combing the area for almost two years, now.
"What's happening now is that the troops are being pulled out from the deployed positions. They are going to remain in the area, and intelligence operations are going to be emphasised much more with the troops ready to react at very very short notice."
The ambassador-designate declared that the military operation in South Waziristan "has been enormously successful".
What remains, he said, was "a handful of militants - may be, 60 or 70, who are dispersed, on the run."
Both the print and electronic media had been stating since Friday that Pakistan was pulling out troops from tribal belt and that the pullout is the result of an agreement struck by military with the tribal leaders in that area.
Karamat said authorities had been talking to the tribal leaders "all along".
"And, the effort has been to get them to co-operate. And, of course, the military operation has been enormously successful."
"And, you need intelligence. You need the co-operation of the tribal leaders and the tribal people to move things along, and to be able to get information, on which you can react with troops."
"So. Yes. The co-operation of the tribal leaders is very very important," he responded, expressing his confidence that the agreement reached would 'ensure' success of the operation.
The topic of the programme was 'The Hunt for Osama bin Laden'.