Kolkata: United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that United States believes al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri is somewhere in Pakistan.
Hillary Clinton is on a visit to India and while talking to the media she said that Pakistan also has not taken necessary action Hafiz Saeed, suspect of masterminding 2008 Mumbai attack.
Hillary Clinton also urged India to reduce its oil imports from Iran to make the sanctions against Iran effective.
India and United States both have been pushing Pakistan to take measure against Hafiz Saeed and United States has even offered a bounty over any evidence provided to them against Hafiz Saeed.
“We’re well aware that there has not yet been the steps taken by the Pakistani government to do what both India and the United States have repeatedly requested them they do,” Clinton said in the Indian city of Kolkata.
“And we’re going to keep pushing that point. So it’s a way of raising the visibility and pointing out to those who are associated with him that there is a cost for that.”
Responding to the statement of Hillary Clinton, Dr. Tanveer Ahmad, Analyst on foreign affairs told Saach.tv that this whole episode is just intended to please India.
He said that US’ intentions over India are very clear. He posited that the civilian nuclear deal from US to India was an effort of US to get into India on its side but it did not get the desired objectives.
He further said, “Relations between United States and India are not as forthcoming as desired by US and this statement of Hillary Clinton in India, is a tactic of US to appease India and get India back on its side.”
He discarded the validity of the statement by calling it appeasement and nothing else.
He said, “Pakistan should not be too much worried about the statement but should also take a diplomatic action against it.”
While talking to Saach.tv, Lt. Gen (retd) Talat Masood expressed his concern over the statement of Hillary Clinton and urged Pakistan to look inside rather than blaming others.
He feared that any presence of Al-Zawahiri could mean another Osama Bin Laden type operation, resulting in further insult and straining the relations between two countries.
He stressed the fact that Pakistan cannot afford adversarial relations with India as it is a regional power and it also cannot have a strained relation with United States, the superpower.
He blamed Pakistan for its inability to act against Hafiz Saeed due to various political relations and urged Pakistan to get its own house in order.
