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Pakistan Threatens To Withdraw Support For U.S.
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Pakistani troops prepare
to move towards the Indian border
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By IOL Correspondent Aamir Latif
PESHAWAR, Jan. 3 (IslamOnline)- Pakistan informed the Bush administration that it cannot continue its logistic support to the U.S. forces positioned on its western borders for its war against Afghanistan because Islamabad needs its troops on the eastern border to avert any external aggression, a top Pakistani military official told IslamOnline Thursday.
“We have officially informed the U.S. and its allies that we cannot continue logistic support and intelligence information to them if India continues its military build-up on eastern borders”, the military official said requesting not to be identified.
However, the official did not mention the U.S. response to Pakistan’s “warning” saying “We have not received an official reply from America and its allies but one thing is sure that America does not want Taliban and Al-Qaeda members to manage to trickle into Pakistan and disappear”.
“U.S. forces are not supposed to launch any operation to flush them out inside Pakistani territory”, the military official contended adding “ Pakistan will also not be in position to block or flush out the fleeing Taliban and Al-Qaeda members in the wake of mounting tension on eastern borders”.
The official claimed that a slight shift in the Indian policy with respect to an immediate war with Pakistan was the result of U.S. pressure on India, which does not want a situation favorable to Taliban and Osama Bin Laden.
He said that out of the country’s six airbases that are being used by the U.S. forces in its war against Afghanistan, Pakistan desperately needs back the three- Jacobabad, Pasni, and Gawadar- in order to thwart any Indian adventure. Besides the three respective airbases, U.S. forces have been using Dalbadin, Zhob and Mardan airports for attacking the fleeing Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters.
Immediately after it informed the U.S. of its intentions, Pakistan ordered six of its army divisions made up of 4500 men to move out of Kurram Agency, 190 kilometers west of Peshawar. The battalions were patrolling the western borders for more than two months to block the entry of Taliban and Al-Qaeda members into the country,
Pakistan had deployed more than a division of its army along the 2,250 km long Pakistan-Afghan borders and had also moved light and heavy artillery towards it. However, it later decided to move it towards the Line of Control and the international borders with India following threats issued by the Indian government.
Eyewitnesses told IOL that army troops were vacating the borders in the tribal territory in trucks paving the way for the deployment of strong contingents of the frontier constabulary and other agencies to keep vigil on the Durand Line.
Four helicopters were also assisting the movement of the equipment down to the country at the Kohat airbase, which was regularly used for the deployment of the army along the Pakistan-Afghan borders months ago.
An official of the Kurram group said that the task of the army had been completed to some extent as there was no threat to the state from its western borders where the troops were deployed by Pakistan, a front line country in the U.S. led so-called "war on terrorism" in Afghanistan.
He said that not all of the troops would leave the area immediately but it would depend on how the situation changes on the
eastern borders, where so far the war threat had increased enormously during the past few days.
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