Pakistan could be protecting other al Qaeda leaders: US Senator
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A US Senator on Tuesday suggested that Pakistan could be protecting other al Qaeda leaders inside the country given the fact that Osama bin Laden was killed by elite US forces in an operation deep inside the country.
The Senator, Charles Schumer, said there are strong "anti-US, pro-Taliban" elements in Pakistan whose goal is to fight India and seek allies in that regard. "We (the US) are not part of that," he told MSNBC news channel.
"If Pakistan was protecting bin Laden, then absolutely a corollary would flow that they're probably protecting others, and we'll have to wait and see and get as much evidence as we can. It is a very, very difficult — it's probably the most difficult foreign policy question we face," he said.
Schumer, however, did not agree with the statements of some of his colleagues that until Congress and the American public are assured that the Pakistani government is not shielding terrorists, financial aid to Pakistan should be suspended.
"We know that Pakistan is a divided country. There's a strong pro-Western element. And in fact, if you talk to the top people in our intelligence organisations, Pakistan was helpful in finding bin Laden. At the same time, there's also a strong element that is anti-US, pro Taliban. Their whole goal is to fight India, and they seek allies in that regard, and we're not part of that," Schumer said.
He said that was why the US did not inform the Pakistani establishment about the mission that killed bin Laden as there are "too many people in the defense agencies, the intelligence agencies who aren't trustworthy."
"So there's a division. Now, the hope is that the killing of bin Laden will strengthen the hand of those who are pro-Western and on our side," he noted.
"But I think you have to be careful before cutting off aid, because the country is vital to us, and we need to find ways to strengthen the pro-Western factions in Pakistan and weaken those who are anti-Western and pro Taliban," Schumer said.
In an interview to the Fox news channel, SenatorLindsay Graham said Pakistan is a mixed-message country.
"They do provide us good intelligence, they have been helpful when it comes to certain terrorist organizations, but the biggest problem we face in Afghanistan is sanctuaries in Pakistan," he said.
While situation in Afghanistan is getting better, he said Pakistan is a really big problem for Afghanistan.
"I hope we will put pressure on the Pakistani government to do better," he said.
"How could he be in such a compound without being noticed? Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban who took over after the Russians left, was driven out during our invasion. We believe he's in Pakistan. I would like to capture Mullah Omar or kill him because he's the man who took Afghanistan over and invited bin Laden as his honored guest."
Omar needs to be brought to justice and the Pakistanis need to help the US in this regard, Graham said.
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