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Pak still harbouring ultra outfits: Russia

Moscow, February 10
Russia has charged Pakistan with continuing to harbour numerous extremist and terrorist outfits who are involved in terrorist activities in foreign countries, despite having joined the US-led global anti-terror coalition.

Specifically naming Pakistan, specially its Northwestern Frontier Province, where the “Taliban hold sway”, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said at the Munich security meet over the weekend that, “It is not a secret that a number of Asian states are still harbouring the representative offices for the extremist organisations on their territories, operating unfettered and unimpeded under the guise of humanitarian relief, clergical and any other centres.”

“For instance, the Pakistan-based Al-Rashid Trust Foundation, set up in 1996 for the purpose of rendering humanitarian relief to Afghan refugees in Pakistan, has subsequently spread its operations further afield covering the Republic of Chechnya and Kosovo.

“The underlying objective as pursued by that foundation is propagation of the jehadi ideology and immediate armed response to any instance of alleged encroachment upon the Muslims,” Ivanov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti agency.

According to Ivanov “there is a proven linkage” between the madrassas, Pakistani Islamist schools — belonging to religious parties Jamaat-eh-Islami, Jamiat-ul-Ilema, Ulema-e-Islam, and Jamiat-ul-Ulemal-e-Pakistan, and different militants training centres and camps.

The Russian Defence Minister had refused to meet Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf during his visit to Moscow last week, in spite of a formal request by Islamabad. PTI