Pakistan A Terrorist Haven: US State Department

US secretary of state Colin Powell, in his recent visit to the subcontinent might have walked a tightrope between India and Pakistan, but the report prepared by his own department has commented extensively on Pakistan’s role in not only supporting anti-India activities but providing bases to anti-US forces as well.

The US department of state in a report “Pattern of Global Terrorism” has noted that “the government of Pakistan increased its support to the Taliban and continued its support to militant groups active in Indian-held Kashmir, such as the Harakat ul-Mujahideen, some of which engaged in terrorism”.

The report, which was released by the ‘Office of the Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism’ in April ‘01, says “the Taliban continued to provide safe haven for international terrorists, particularly Osama Bin Laden and his network, in the portions of Afghanistan it controlled”. The report currently is available on the US state department’s web site.

Though after September 11, the US administration froze the accounts of all organisations supporting the Taliban, the state department way back in April ‘01 had reminded all member states of the United Nations to “freeze the financial assets of Osama Bin Laden and observe an arms embargo against the Taliban that includes a prohibition against providing military weapons, training or advice”.

Pakistan, ‘publicly and privately’ maintains that it intends to comply fully with UN resolution, which imposes an arms embargo on the Taliban, the report mentions that it has been found to be providing substantial help to Taliban.

“The United States remains concerned about reports of continued Pakistani support for the Taliban’s military operations in Afghanistan,” it says.

The US state department says: “Credible reporting indicates that Pakistan is providing the Taliban with materiel, fuel, funding, technical assistance, and military advisers”.

According to the department, Pakistan has not prevented large numbers of its nationals from “moving into Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban.

Islamabad also has failed to take effective steps to curb the activities of certain madrassas, or religious schools, that serve as recruiting grounds for terrorism”.

The report admits that the Taliban, which controlled most Afghan territory, “permitted the operation of training and indoctrination facilities for non-Afghans and provided logistics support to members of various terrorist organisations and mujahideen, including those waging jihads (holy wars) in Central Asia, Chechnya, and Kashmir”.

On India, the state department observes that, security problems associated with various insurgencies, particularly in Kashmir, still persists in India. Massacres of civilians in Kashmir during March and August were attributed to Lashkar-e-Taiba and other militant groups.

“The Indian Government continued cooperative efforts with the US against terrorism.

You must realize that this is from India, the sworn enemy of Pakistan. But I have nod doubt that there is much anti-American hatred there and several terrorist cells.

3 posted on 10/21/2001 4:50:24 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants

"You must realize that this is from India, the sworn enemy of Pakistan."

Yup. That was why I made sure to put 'India' at the end of the credit. Fox News just reported that the Taliban are getting help from an unknown country, on the QT. Hmmmmm

Did you read my WHOLE post? The first part was only a warning that this "news" should be take with a grain of salt. I hold no pretense to believe that Pakistan or any of those 'stans will ever be a reliable ally, much less a friend.

6 posted on 10/21/2001 7:29:29 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants

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