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Pakistan terms US comments on air strike irresponsible, dangerous

By IRNA

Islamabad : Pakistan has described as 'irresponsible and dangerous' comments and calls in the US for striking actionable targets on the Pakistan side of Pakistan-Afghanis an border.

The White House spokesman Tony Snow was quoted as saying "Wenever rule out any options, including striking actionable targets", when asked whether US President George Bush had ruled out US military action inside Pakistan.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said that certain elements in the US media have also urged military action against supposed Al-Qaeda safe haven in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

"Comments especially in the US media often betray impatience disregarding the imperative of prudence and patience which is necessary for the success of a comprehensive approach required to deal with this global danger."
"We can not, nor should we be expected to take indiscriminate action over a large territory without any precise information about any Al-Qaeda or terrorist hideout," she said in a statement.

"Our cooperation and close coordination has yielded concrete results in terms of the disruption of Al-Qaeda and capture of its key leaders and operatives. Therefore, it would be counterproductive to create an impression of any divergences or differences on the issue of counter-terrorism."
"Pakistan has been working resolutely to eliminate the remnants of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist elements. Our efforts and sacrifices in this endeavour are well-known.

"We remain determined not to allow Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist entity to esta lish a safe haven on our territory."
"We have repeatedly made our position clear that whatever counter-terrorism action is to be taken inside Pakistan, it will be taken by our own security forces. This has been and remains the basis of our cooperation with the US," she said.

Tasnim Aslam said the success of the international community in fighting terrorism depends essentially on cooperation, including sharing of concrete and actionable information and intelligence.

"Terrorism and extremism in our region is a development of historical circumstances of nearly three decades with roots in our neighbourhood that have spread to our soil," she said.