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Brown accused the Pakistani government of not doing enough to fight terrorism. |
ISLAMABAD — The recent arrest of eleven Pakistan nationals in Britain on terror-related charges is casting its shadow over relations between the two countries.
"I would reiterate that Pakistan is fully committed to combating the war on terror because this is its own war," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told IslamOnline.net.
"We are doing whatever we can do in the war on terror. Our commitment is very clear and very much there."
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused Islamabad on Thursday of not doing enough to fight terrorism.
"Pakistan has got the problems of... groups of terrorists in their country operating from their country," he told the Doha-based Al-Jazeera television.
"We need all the cooperation that we have with the Pakistani authorities to deal with these problems."
The criticism came a day after 12 people, including 11 Pakistanis, were arrested in anti-terror raids across northwest England.
The Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman declined to directly comment on Brown's statements.
"If we talk about recent arrests of 11 Pakistani students in UK on the charges of terrorism, then I would say this is not yet clear whether they are involved in plotting any terrorism plans or not," he told IOL.
"Until and unless there are credible evidences, we can't say anything against them. If there are evidences against them, we will fully cooperate with the UK government."
Tactic
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| "This is a diplomatic misunderstanding because of lack of trust regarding involvement of Pakistani intelligence agencies in Afghanistan," Alam told IOL. |
The Pakistani diplomat denied any diplomatic crisis with London over the issue.
"There is no chance of any diplomatic crisis because the two countries have a common enemy and common interests."
Mansoor Alam, who had served as Pakistan's ambassador to Russia, Mexico, the UAE and Egypt, agrees.
"I don't call it a crisis. This is a diplomatic misunderstanding because of the lack of trust regarding the involvement of Pakistani intelligence agencies in Afghanistan," he told IOL.
He notes that Western countries doubt the determination of Pakistani agencies to counter terrorism.
"Therefore, when foreign leaders express doubts no matter right or wrong, about our commitment and performance on certain matters, the international community puts its weight in favor of the accusing party."
The former diplomat says the question whether the issue would turn out to be a crisis between London and Islamabad depends on the actions of the government.
"It will help Pakistan to regain its credibility."
But Dr Shameem Akhtar, an analyst and former chairman of International Relations Department, University of Karachi, sees the British criticism a tactic to lay more pressures on Islamabad.
"This is not a diplomatic crisis-like situation. This is simply a coercive diplomacy by using psychological warfare," he told IOL.
"The whole exercise is aimed at shattering the nerves of Pakistani rulers, which unfortunately are already shattered."
Akhtar argues that London is acting on Washington's behalf.
"America has continuously been using diplomatic and military influence on Pakistan to entertain its demand for joint military operations, but because the army is opposing this demand due to an apparent public pressure, therefore the Obama administration is using other channels to press Pakistan for that," says Akhtar.
"This is a calculated exercise. Whenever the US demands something of Pakistan, the same demand is made by UK or any other European country."
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