The Cabinet in its meeting on March 31 had proposed that the Foreign Secretary should summon the US Ambassador to Foreign Office and convey concern of the government of Pakistan on the threatening statement made by CIA Director, General Micheal Hayden, as there was furious reaction from all quarters in Pakistan on the remarks made by him.
Moreover, the proposal was endorsed by the Cabinet and it was decided that the Foreign Minister should take up the issue with the US government. When contacted, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq on Saturday said, "I am unaware of the Cabinet decision, but we have given our reaction on the statement made by the CIA Chief, General Micheal Hayden in the weekly press briefing here on April 2" (Wednesday).
Some of the extracts of the report are as under: Pakistan on Wednesday angrily reacted to remarks from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief of the United States, who criticised the policies of President Pervez Musharraf in dealing with terrorism in the tribal region.
"Such a statement does not help trace alleged hideouts," Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said. Speaking at a TV show on Sunday, the CIA chief, General Micheal Hayden also hinted operation in the Pakistani regions by the American forces.
"Terrorists have threatened Pakistan and targeted our people. We are, therefore, combating terrorism in our own interest," Sadiq said. Sadiq said Pakistan and the United States were partners in the international campaign against terrorism. It would be counter-productive to create an impression of any divergences or differences on the issue of counter-terrorism or take any step detrimental to their counter-terrorism co-operation.
He said Pakistan and the coalition had effective information and intelligence sharing and Islamabad would take action if any actionable intelligence were provided.
He said the basis of the co-operation is well defined and well understood. It is important to focus on effective co-operation and co-ordination rather than talk of action that would further complicate the ongoing efforts to fight al Qaeda and other terrorist elements, said Sadiq.