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Pakistan Seeks to Gag Taliban Envoy
ISLAMABAD, Nov 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Pakistan has told the Taliban ambassador in Islamabad to stop giving press conferences, which have attracted worldwide attention but annoyed the United States, officials said Wednesday.
Foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan said the ambassador, Abdul Salam Zaeef, was summoned on Tuesday afternoon and "asked to observe the diplomatic norms," reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"Any host country can ask a mission to stop statements or propaganda against any third country which has friendly relations with the host country," Khan told AFP.
The briefings held in the Taliban embassy garden have become a huge international media draw because Zaeef is the Islamic regime's only foreign envoy.
The Pakistani foreign office pointed out that under diplomatic convention's no diplomat could address a press conference against a third country, reported
the Pakistani daily, Dawn.
At the daily foreign office briefing spokesman Aziz Khan was asked about the summoning of Mulla Zaeef. He said that it was a routine visit and there was nothing significant about it.
The press briefings of Zaeef giving details of human casualties and exposing the target bombing of the U.S. had been drawing a great deal of attention from international media.
Islamabad has already put an unofficial ban on the cable operators who provide transmission of the Qatari based al-Jazeera satellite TV to their subscribers.
U.S. authorities at the highest level have also shown displeasure over the coverage of al-Jazeera TV, which was the only international channel present in Kabul on October 7, when the U.S. launched its attack against Afghanistan.
Later, Taliban authorities took some representatives from the international media organization to Kandahar, to witness, first hand, the "collateral
damage", or civilian casualties.
While Islamabad has said it is acceptable for Zaeef to convey Kabul's stance to the world media from Pakistani soil, Pakistani foreign ministry sources say the use of harsh language by the Afghan envoy against the U.S. and its allies is incompatible with his diplomatic status, reported Pakistani daily,
The Nation.
The Nation reported that Zaeef said the Taliban have lifted all restrictions on Osama bin Laden and his companions, and that they now would face no barriers when seeking to express their views.
"Their right of freedom and expression has been restored," Zaeef added.
"When the Americans are out to destroy each and everything in Afghanistan, including schools, mosques and residential areas, how he could be debarred from freedom of expression," he asked.
The ambassador accused the United Nations of devouring funds donated to Afghans. He asked people - especially Muslims - to directly extend donations to the Taliban so that it could reach to the needy people, said
The Nation.
"The world community has donated generously to help Afghans in the hours of their trial but Afghans are not receiving this aid
in toto," he complained.
Pakistan is the only country that recognizes the Taliban regime, but it is also supports the U.S.-led anti-terrorism coalition against Kabul.
Zaeef regularly attacks U.S. policy and provides civilian casualty reports the United States
say are exaggerated.
No officials were immediately available at the embassy to comment on the government order.
Zaeef was in Islamabad on Tuesday, but he did not give his usual press conference, which is normally held every day he is in the Pakistani capital.
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