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Pakistan has rejected the comments by US officials in which they said in the hypothetical situation of "actionable targets" on the Pakistan side of Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the US did not rule out any options including striking such targets.

The further said certain elements in the US media have also urged military action against supposed al Qaeda safe haven in the tribal areas of Pakistan. In a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Friday, it said such comments and calls were irresponsible and dangerous.

It said first and foremost, Pakistan was combating extremism and terrorism in its own national interest. Secondly, Pakistan and the United States were partners in the international campaign against terrorism.

It said our co-operation and close co-ordination had yielded concrete results in terms of the disruption of al Qaeda and capture of its key leaders and operatives. Therefore, it would be counterproductive to create an impression of any divergences or differences on the issue of counter-terrorism.

Pakistan had been working resolutely to eliminate the remnants of al Qaeda and other terrorist elements, it said and added 'our efforts and sacrifices in this endeavour are well known. We remain determined not to allow al Qaeda or any other terrorist entity to establish a safe haven on our territory.'

It said Pakistan had repeatedly made its position clear that whatever counter-terrorism action was to be taken inside Pakistan, it would be taken by Pakistan's own security forces. This had been and remained the basis of Pakistan's co-operation with the US.

The Foreign Office said the success of the international community in fighting terrorism depends essentially on co-operation, including sharing of concrete and actionable information and intelligence. 'We cannot, nor should we be expected to take indiscriminate action over a large territory without any precise information about any al Qaeda or terrorist hideout.', it added.

It said Terrorism and extremism was a complex challenge. Political analysts in the US understood the enormity and gravity of the challenge as the US was also engaged in dealing with it in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It further said Terrorism and extremism in their region was a development of historical circumstances of nearly three decades with roots in their neighbourhood that had spread to our soil. Comments especially in the US media often betray impatience disregarding the imperative of prudence and patience which was necessary for the success of a comprehensive approach required to deal with this global danger, it added.

Copyright News Network International, 2007


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