Pak PM says he will look into US' complaint of ISI-terrorists links

Washington, July 31 : Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the US' concerns about collusion between his country's intelligence agency ISI and militants, mostly belonging to Al Qaeda and the Taliban, were being taken seriously and "will be resolved".

Gilani said he had seen no evidence to support the allegations that the ISI had compromised to have links with terrorists.

To a question if he was confident that the ISI contained no pockets of Taliban sympathy, Gilani said, "I'm pretty sure about it. We still have to look into the accusations..........it will be resolved."

In order to confront the Pakistan officials, CIA Deputy Director Stephen R. Kappes and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael G. Mullen had visited Islamabad earlier this month to complain that they had evidence to prove that ISI had links with terrorists.

Gilani said the best way to combat the Taliban and al Qaeda was through providing extensive education and economic aid. "The root cause of the problem in the tribal areas and Afghanistan is poverty. People are turning to those militants because they bribe them, give them money and protection. And they use them for their own benefit," the Washington Times quoted Gilani as saying in an exclusive interview with its staffers.

The paper also quoted a US official as saying that "not enough is being done" by Pakistan to combat growing problems in the country's remote Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), including the Taliban and al Qaeda sympathizers within government agencies.

"Plainly there is a problem in the tribal areas, and that problem is not being addressed adequately at this point. The tribal areas and the terror activities pose a threat to Pakistan, South Asia and regions beyond," said the official on the condition of anonymity.

ANI