War On Terror: Pakistan Rejects American Proposal; Won't Attack Taliban Forces
Dated 21/7/2007
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The Pakistan Government has dismissed a US suggestion of striking potential terrorist targets in the Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Pakistan-Afghan border, terming it "irresponsible and dangerous".
"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," Pakistan Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam said in a statement.
"Our efforts and sacrifices in this endeavor are well-known," the Daily Times quoted Aslam, as saying. "We remain determined not to allow the Al Qaeda, or any other terrorist entity, to establish a safe haven on our territory," she added.
Commenting on the Washington Post's editorial that has advocated military strikes in the FATA, she said, "Such comments and calls are irresponsible and dangerous."
Pakistan was combating extremism and terrorism in its own national interest and was a US partner in the international campaign against terrorism, Aslam said.
"Our cooperation and close coordination has yielded concrete results in terms of the disruption of Al Qaeda and capture of its key leaders and operatives," she said, adding, "Therefore, it would be counterproductive to create an impression of any divergences or differences on the issue of counter-terrorism."