Pak calls Bajaur incident an attack on its sovereignty

    Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has said that the January 13 attack by US forces on a village in Bajaur Agency was an "attack on Pakistan's sovereignty", and that the US should have allowed his country to carry out the operation as both the countries had close cooperation as far as the war against terror was concerned. "It is a violation of our sovereignty. We have to be sensitive to each other's concerns. Yes it is a question of sovereignty. Actions of this nature enflame public opinion, as in this case there have been demonstrations in many cities. It is particularly unfortunate in view of the fact that there has been recent goodwill for US following the earthquake," The News quoted Kasuri as saying.

  The minister further said that so far the US' intelligence report that al Qaeda's number two al-Zawahri was present in the area at the time of attacks had not been corroborated. There was no information that Zawahri was present in Damadola village at the time of US air strike, he said adding, "there have been some reports in the US media that was picked up by Pakistani media as well but so far intelligence sources have not confirmed that Zawahri was there." Replying to a question whether Pakistan was given any advance notice of the air strike or not, Kasuri said that was unimportant whether it was given or not because no action should be undertaken by anyone other than Pakistan armed forces inside the Pakistani territory. He added: "US knows the capacity of the Pakistan armed forces. Even now we have 75,000 troops whereas you have only 17,000 troops in Afghanistan and all the 17,000 are not guarding the frontiers. They have got fighting areas. Responsibilities of our 75,000 are guarding the frontiers. So all the more necessary, we should be sensitive to each other's concerns." Kasuri further said that he would raise the issue with the US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. "I will talk to Rice. But, I think our message has been understood. My hope it has been because it has created a lot of resentment and there have been demonstrations in all cities of Pakistan."

US unrepentant over Bajaur attack

    The US has defended the January 13 air raids on Pakistan's Bajaur Agency from across the Pak-Afghan border which reportedly killed around 18 innocent people, mostly women and children, saying that terror organisations like al Qaeda and the Taliban could not be dealt with lightly. The country's Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice yesterday said that the Bajaur attacks were necessary because the Taliban and al Qaeda posed a threat to Pakistan, and both the US and Pakistan were allies in the global war against terrorism. "The al-Qaeda and its Taliban allies are not people who can be dealt with lightly. The biggest threat to Pakistan, of course, is what al-Qaeda has done in trying to radicalise the country, the extremist elements that really occupy ... parts of the country in important ways, (and) tried twice to assassinate President (Pervez) Musharraf. I would just say to both the Pakistani government and the Pakistani people, we're allies in the war on terror. We'll continue to work with the Pakistanis and we'll try to address their concerns," The News quoted Rice as saying while en route to Liberia. She added: "I can't speak to the specifics of this particular circumstance. The frontier area is extremely difficult and it's been lawless there for a long time. Pakistani forces are operating there, trying to take control. We're trying to help. We will continue to work with the Pakistanis and we will try to address their concerns." The Bajaur attacks, apparently carried out by US forces on CIA direction based on a wrong intelligence report that al Qaeda's number two al-Zawahri was present in a village in the Bajaur Agency, have evoked strong protests from different sections of Pakistani society, including the political parties in power and the Opposition.

Pak intellectuals feel Bajaur incident strained US-Pak alliance

    Islamabad: The intellectual community in Pakistan has termed last Friday's attack by the US forces on Bajaur Agency as a "strain" in Pak-US growing friendship, especially their alliance in the war against global terror. They said that the attack hampered the process of growing ties between the two countries as an anti-American sentiment emerged in the Pakistani population after the last week's Bajaur attacks. They also said that the Bajaur attacks had neutralised the good work done by US forces in the quake-hit areas in the country. The attack was the third suspected US strike in less than two months inside Pakistan. Talat Masood, a retired general and political analyst, said, "This will consolidate anti-American sentiment." He predicted icy ties (between Pakistan and US) if the missions continue, but expected the anti-terror alliance to endure if such an attack "is not repeated in the near future". Khalid Mehmud, senior research analyst at the Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad, said that the Bajaur attacks did more harm to the US image in Pakistan than the good image it (US) was able to generate in the country after the October 8th earthquake. "This has done great harm to the American image in Pakistan and neutralises the good deeds done in the earthquake relief," The News quoted Mehmud as saying. Meanwhile, the country's Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that in the aftermath of the Bajaur attack the US "should try to work to improve their image", and added it had "created problems for this government".

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