M A I N   N E W S

USA cautioned on Pak help

New Delhi, September 19
India today cautioned the USA about seeking Pakistan’s cooperation in the global war against terrorism, saying that Islamabad itself was sponsoring it.

This was conveyed to US Ambassador Robert Blackwill at a meeting he had with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan.

In an obvious reference to Pakistan, Mr Mahajan told the Ambassador that if the USA was serious about fighting terrorism, it should also take into account the fact that it was cooperating with a country sponsoring terrorism in the region.

Mr Mahajan said that Mr Blackwill told him that Pakistan had not talked of any conditions or referred to Kashmir while extending its support to the USA for fight terrorism.

The Ambassador also said the USA had not sought “any help” from India till now.

Meanwhile, despite Pakistan’s offer of support to the USA in fight against terrorism, units of its army, air force, Special Security Group (SSG), parachute regiment, commandos and the Inter-Services Intelligence are still stationed in Afghanistan as a support base for the Taliban, according to reports received here.

Besides officials and personnel of these units, hundreds of militants belonging to several outfits like Sipah-e-Sahaba, Harkatul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad, which are based, trained and equipped by Pakistan, are still positioned in Afghanistan and have been fighting alongside the Taliban, the reports said. PTI