Wednesday, 5 March 2008

US backing militants in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The US embassy on Sunday expressed grave concern over the statement of caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz claiming that US was behind lawlessness and terrorism in Pakistan.

"The US Embassy describes as 'untrue' recent claims made by Pakistan's Interior Minister concerning the United States," said a statement from the US embassy. "American Ambassador Anne W Patterson today telephoned Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz to express her grave concern over his remarks made in a television interview." In his interview with an Arab television channel, Hamid Nawaz had said that the United States, India and Afghanistan were involved in creating lawlessness in Pakistan and that it was believed that US and Afghanistan were backing militant outfits involved in terrorism in Pakistan.

Although India and Afghanistan have been blamed in the past for problems in Pakistan, it is for the first time that a government minister has directly pointed finger at the US for lawlessness in Pakistan.

The interior minister could not be reached for comments.
 

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