Pakistan won’t allow US forces’ action on its soil, says FO

By Sajjad Malik

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday that it would never let the US cross the “red line” under any circumstances and allow Americans to conduct operations on its territory.

“We would not allow, under any circumstances, operations by US forces inside Pakistan ... we have conveyed this several times to our US interlocutors and this is one of our red lines,” said Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Abdul Basit at weekly briefing. Basit said US Army chief Admiral Michael Mullen’s comments that Pakistan was facing threats from both the eastern and western borders were correct in the sense that the “country has issues with India and is [simultaneously] battling terrorism on the western border”.

He said that Pakistan supported “transparency and accountability at every stage” of the proposed assistance under the Kerry-Lugar Bill, but demanded that the US reduce the administrative cost of the assistance. “What we have been saying is that we would like to reduce the administrative cost ... so that it is cost-effective and maximum benefits reach the people of Pakistan,” he said.

He refused comment on a statement by US ambassador that the current government had so far received $3 billion from the US. “I would refer you to the Finance Ministry, since it is better placed to answer this question,” he said.

About Blackwater in Pakistan, the spokesman said the interior minister had reiterated several times that “there is no ... Blackwater in Pakistan”. He said Pakistan was opposed to the use of the term “Af-Pak” because Afghanistan and Pakistan were two separate countries with different problems and situations. He also refused comment on a report that claimed the Pakistani ambassador to the US had leaked classified information to CNN-IBN. “As you used the word ‘reportedly’, it will not be appropriate for me to comment in public on such official matters,” he said. Basit said that a UK think tank’s contention that Pakistan was a cause of instability in Afghanistan was not true. He said Pakistan was struggling with the spillover effect of the conflict in Afghanistan. “So it is the other way round,” he said.

The FO spokesman said there was no danger to its strategic assets. “We have very strong and iron-clad custodial arrangements and mechanisms. There is no question of our assets falling into the wrong hands.” Replying to a question, Basit said Pakistan’s security agencies were vigilant, and “we are not allowing any anti-Pakistan activity in the country”. He said a meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference Kashmir Contact Group would be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York, and Pakistan would use the opportunity to create an international environment for more diplomatic support to resolve the dispute in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Link...