US call for probe into 'funds misuse' rejected

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Thursday rejected the call for probe into the use of US aid extended to it for the ongoing war against terrorism saying there was no need for any such investigation. Addressing his weekly press briefing here, Foreign Office Spokesman, Muhammad Sadiq said all the funds provided by the United States were transparently used. He said, "All the funds were spent in efforts to contain the movement of Taliban at Pak-Afghan border and war against terrorism, the details of which could be supplied to America." However, he added that there had been no request by the US for the inquiry of spending of those funds. He was asked whether the USA had recently released money to Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund and what is Coalition Support Fund. He said the United States had transferred $373.84 million to Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) on 24 June 2008. "Out of this amount some $119 million were pending since 2007 while the rest of the reimbursements were from this year," he said. "Coalition Support Fund is reimbursement of expenses that are incurred by Pakistan in its anti-terrorism operations along the Afghan border," Sadiq said. Earlier, there were western media reports that the United States has paid more than $5 billion in reimbursement to Pakistan adding that the Pentagon could not properly account for as much as $2 billion in payments to Pakistan over a three-year period from 2004 to 2007. In response to another query, the spokesman rejected as "baseless" the allegations by Afghanistan that Islamabad's main spy agency, ISI had masterminded an attempt to assassinate President Hamid Karzai. "Pakistan rejects these baseless and irresponsible allegations and the attitude and proclivity behind them," Sadiq said. He said Afghanistan had not made any official complaint to Pakistan about the allegations and Pakistan, as a brotherly country, was glad that Karzai was not hurt in the attack. He said that reports suggested the attack "had something to do with a massive intelligence and security failure, or some kind of problem between the Afghan intelligence apparatus and the government." He said that most of the Afghans arrested after the attack were Afghan government employees. Sadiq also condemned Afghan authorities for publicly parading earlier this week two Pakistanis who were captured in southern Kandahar province for allegedly planning suicide attacks. He said, "Parading captives in chains, and in public is a medieval practice, not different from what Taliban occasionally indulged in, in the past." Responding to another query, he said the talks in FATA and other areas were with the tribal leaders and not with the miscreants. "We believe that use of force only cannot resolve the issue," he said adding, "Talks are being held with the elders and tribal leaders to ensure peace in the region."   "Whenever necessary and required, force is used while the government is also using political dialogue with the elder leaders in the tribal areas," he said. To a question on foreign elements in the tribal belt, he said that there were certain foreign elements present in those areas. In his opening statement, the spokesman said that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani would lead Pakistan's delegation to 6th D-8 Summit to be held in Malaysia from July 4 to 8. He said, "The theme of the 6th D-8 Summit is "Meeting challenges through innovative cooperation". He said the developing eight countries, formed D-8 as an economic development alliance. He said the D-8 consisted of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. He said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi would leave for India on Friday (today) for talks with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee to carry forward the peace process between the two countries. "During his visit to India from June 27 to 30, the Foreign Minister will hold talks with the Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on issues of mutual interest and explore the possibility of furthering bilateral cooperation for the common benefit and prosperity of the two countries," he said. "The Foreign Minister, who is visiting India on the invitation of External Affairs Minister of India will call on the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, besides meeting political leadership of India," he said. The Foreign Minister, he said, would also meet a delegation of Kashmiri leaders and deliver a keynote address at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, Chandigarh. He said that a detailed and comprehensive dialogue regarding merger of the two factions of APHC had been held with the recently visiting APHC delegation adding that the inclusion of Kashmiri elements in the ongoing dialogue between Pakistan and India would be of great help. Speaking about the issue of nuclear scientist Dr AQ Khan, the spokesman clarified that there was absolutely no truth in digital designs of atom bomb as held by the Tiners family of Switzerland and Dr AQ Khan was not involved in supplying those designs to any third country, nor had anybody ever asked for investigations in the matter. He said that investigations into the murder of Benazir Bhutto were underway and the official request sent to UN Secretary General was currently with the legal affairs office, while the Foreign Minister would be visiting New York in this connection in the first week of July. He said that Pak-Indian judicial committee was fully active over the issue of arrested nationals of either country while a Pakistani committee was already touring India to seek the condition of Pakistani prisoners.

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt