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"Solution of the Afghanistan problem lies within the country," said Musharraf. (Reuters) |
RAWALPINDI — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf refuted accusations that his intelligence services or the army were helping Taliban but admitted that some border guards had turned a "blind eye" towards Taliban fighters launching attacks in Afghanistan.
"We had some incidents I know of, that in some posts, a blind eye was being turned," Musharraf told a press conference.
Musharraf, a key US ally, said it would be difficult for two guards at a typical border check post when faced with a group of "20 well-armed, well-trained and well-motivated people challenging them."
"There is no question of anyone abetting but there are people at the tactical level who turn a blind eye and that needs to be corrected," he told reporters at Camp House, his official army residence in Rawalpindi.
"We will have to stop the Taliban support".
But Musharraf refuted accusations that Pakistani intelligence or army were helping Taliban in its attacks against the Afghan regime of Hamid Karzai.
"To cast aspersions on the army or ISI is absolutely wrong," he said.
"Blame game is the primary indication of defeat," added Musharraf.
"Solution of the Afghanistan problem lies within the country."
Karzai has openly accused Pakistan of backing Taliban, which was ousted by US-led forces in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Outgoing US intelligence director John Negroponte has also said that Pakistan was sheltering Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
Musharraf became a close US ally in its so-called war on terror after 9/11.
Joint Efforts
The Pakistani leader said controlling infiltration on Pak-Afghan border is not the sole responsibility of Pakistan.
"We refuse to take full responsibility for crossing of the border," he said, adding that NATO-led forces must do more.
"We have established one thousand check posts on Afghan border to check militants movement," said Musharraf.
He asserted Taliban leader Mullah Omar was Afghanistan.
"I am 500 percent sure that Mullah Omar has never been to Pakistan. He is in Afghanistan and commanding Taliban from inside his country."
He said regime had tried and failed three times to kill or capture senior Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah after he crossed over from Afghanistan.
"We know that Dadullah came to Pakistan," Musharraf admitted, without giving any dates.
"Thrice we tried to get him and thrice we failed."
He said these attempts were carried out with "total intelligence cooperation" with foreign forces in Afghanistan.
Not New
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"This is not a new confession," Mir, who interviewed bin Laden after 9/11, told IOL.
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Senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir believes Musharraf's remarks, seen by some as an admission of repeated accusations leveled against his regime, were not new.
"This is not a new confession," he told IslamOnline.net.
"Pakistani government has admitted in past also that hundreds of paramilitary troops detailed along the Pak-Afghan border belong to the tribal areas, and they harbor sympathies for their local fellows who fight alongside Taliban."
Mir, who came into limelight for interviewing Osama Bin Laden after 9/11 at an unknown place in Afghanistan, said senior army officials have told him before that local paramilitary troops do not cooperate with them.
"Bombings and killings of local civilians have increased their (paramilitary troops) sympathies for local Taliban, because they believe that they must not fight the American war," he noted.
Hundreds of paramilitary troops serving in Tochi Scouts, Frontier Constabulary, and Wazir Scouts belong to north and south Waziristan area where hundreds of civilians have so been killed in US and Pakistani air strikes.
Citing the recent air strikes on a Frontier Constabulary check post in north Waziristan in which a paramilitary troop was killed and two injured, Mir said such incidents have increased hatred against America and sympathy for local Taliban among the paramilitary troops belonging to tribal areas.
"And in fact, they consider as their friends whoever fight the US forces."
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