‘US not hunting Osama on Pakistan territory’

Pakistan’s top diplomat said on Saturday there are no US military personnel on the hunt for Osama bin Laden in his nation...

Pakistan’s top diplomat said on Saturday there are no US military personnel on the hunt for Osama bin Laden in his nation, and none will be allowed in to search for the al-Qaida leader, who is is believed to be hiding somewhere in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.

In an interview with Associated Press, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said his nation’s new government has ruled out military operations, covert or otherwise, to catch militants. “Our government’s policy is that our troops, paramilitary forces and our regular forces are deployed in sufficient numbers. They are capable of taking action there. And any foreign intrusion would be counterproductive,” he said. “People will not accept it. Questions of sovereignty come in.”

The United States has grown increasingly frustrated as al-Qaida, the Taliban and other militants thrive in Pakistan’s remote areas and in neighbouring Afghanistan, and has offered troops to strike at terror networks. Critics in Washington also have expressed exasperation at the new Pakistani government’s pursuit of peace deals in the region — the newly elected civilian government is negotiating with tribal elders to secure peace with militants along the Afghan border, a step back from the heavy-handed tactics pursued by the previous government led by Pervez Musharraf.

Tensions between the US and Pakistan have been high after Pakistan said US aircraft killed 11 of its soldiers at a border post in June. US officials have said coalition aircraft dropped bombs during a clash with militants.

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