Athar Abbas describes Mullen's assertion as 'shocking'

Pakistan

Athar Abbas describes Mullen's assertion as 'shocking'

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DG ISPR has said that contacts with Haqqanis did not mean that ISI supports the organization.

25 September,2011 02:46 am

Director General ISPR Major General Athar Abbas has acknowledged that the Inter-Services Intelligence had contacts with the Haqqanis.Any intelligence agency would like to maintain contact with whatever opposition group, whatever terrorist organization ... for some positive outcome, he told an American television in a telephone interview.However, those contacts do not mean that the ISI supports or endorses the organization, he added.If someone is blaming us as the only country maintaining contacts with the Haqqanis, there are others, too, Abbas said. There is a huge difference between maintaining contacts with such a group to facilitate peace and supporting it against an ally, he said.Abbas said Pakistan had intelligence that other governments were in contact with the Haqqanis, though he declined to identify them.He also described as shocking Mullens assertion that Pakistan was complicit in recent attacks against the US Embassy and other targets in Kabul. He said Mullens public comments Thursday were especially surprising after his constructive meeting with Kayani in Spain last week. Pakistan has nothing to gain from supporting such attacks, Abbas said, adding that such claims and media diplomacy do not help the relationship between the two countries.The United States has not shared any evidence with Pakistan detailing support from the ISI for the Haqqanis, nor of the Haqqanis presence or activities in Pakistan, Abbas said. Further, he said the Haqqanis no longer need Pakistani territory as there are large areas of eastern Afghanistan -- in Kunar and Nuristan provinces -- where they have sanctuaries. They carry out attacks from that side, he said, and had no infrastructure in Pakistan.Abbas rejected the suggestion, saying Pakistan had closed the cell-phone towers in the area to prevent terrorists from communicating and coordinating their activities within Waziristan. We closed all the mobile towers on this side of the border, but unfortunately across the border in Afghanistan mobile towers are working.Abbas said any unilateral military action would fuel anti-US sentiment in Pakistan.It would have grave consequences ... and would put the government and the militarys backs to the wall, he said.