Pak Senators ‘up in arms’ against Clinton’s ‘dire consequences’ diatribe

ISLAMABAD - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s blunt talking has not gone down well with Pakistani law makers, who have urged the government to ask the Obama Administration to clarify its stand over her statement, that Pakistan may have to face ‘very dire consequences’ if country based terrorists succeeded in attacking America.

Speaking during a discussion in the National Assembly, senators from all the major political parties asked the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led government to adopt a clear policy on Clinton’s statements.

Clinton, during an interview, had warned Pakistan of ’severe consequences’ if a successful terror attack is traced back to that country.

She had also said that there are people in the Pakistan Government who know the whereabouts of Al Qaeda chieftain Osama bin Laden and Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Omar, but Islamabad has not shared enough evidence regarding that.

“I’m not saying that they’re at the highest levels but I believe that somewhere in this government are people who know where Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda is, where Mullah Omar and the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is and we expect more cooperation to help us bring to justice, capture or kill, those who attacked us on 9/11,” Clinton had said during CBS’ 60 minute.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Zafar Ali Shah demanded an explanation from Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, to which he replied that only the foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was authorised to speak on the issue.

“The foreign minister himself seemed to be publicly defending India by saying it was not violating the Indus Water Treaty. We should face the US by taking a similar stance instead of bowing down to pressures,” Shah shot back.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) leader Salim Saifullah said Clinton’s words were condemnable, particularly after the recent strategic dialogue between the two countries.

Saifullah said he personally knows Faisal Shahzad’s family, and that the failed New York bombing plot seems to be part of a large conspiracy against Pakistan.

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) leader Maulana Haideri termed both the 9/11 and the Times Square incidents as ‘dramas’, which were staged by the US to target Pakistan. (ANI)