Pakistanis suffered most at the hands of al-Qaeda: US

By Sami Abraham




WASHINGTON DC: US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Pakistan and Afghanistan David Sedney has said the United States and Pakistan share the common goal of destroying al-Qaeda, which was out there at the Pak-Afghan border trying to create another 9/11-like catastrophe.




Speaking exclusively to The News and Geo News here at the Pentagon, David Sedney said no nation had suffered at the hands of al-Qaeda the way Pakistanis had suffered after the 9/11 attacks and the United States not only acknowledged but appreciated the courage and bravery of the Pakistani people and Pak security forces with which they had put up a fight against al-Qaeda.




Replying to a question, David Sedney acknowledged that there was a shortfall of military supplies to Pakistanis but the US was working very hard to provide to Pak security forces whatever was needed in the fight against al-Qaeda in the rugged mountains along the Pak-Afghan border. He said the situation had improved and the Pakistani officials he met during the last several weeks did appreciate the US cooperation in this regard.




When asked whether there was any possibility of Pakistan getting drone technology in the near future, Sedney said both Pakistan and the US were engaged in expanding cooperation on the question of military supplies and technology transfer but it was not possible for him to discuss it openly.




However, he said, "I can tell you that cooperation between the two countries is increasing on the question of technology transfer."Sedney did not agree with the correspondent that drone technology was not being provided to Pakistan due to the Indian pressure and said there was a misperception in Pakistan about the US because of the Pakistani media. He said his colleagues and most of Pakistani-American friends had told him that the situation on the ground, even in Fata, was different from what was being painted in the Pakistani press.




Sedney agreed, in response to a query, that the reimbursement process of coalition support funds to Pakistan had been slow in the past. He said one must understand that we were dealing with bureaucracies of two countries, which have their own set of rules and regulations. He added there was yet a long way to go and things had improved and the last few payments were made faster, he added.




When asked why the US officials were asking Pakistanis to believe that the biggest threat to Pakistan was from terrorists and not from India whereas all the issues which had caused three wars between the two countries were still pending, Sedney said it was not his job to tell Pakistanis to believe or not who was the biggest threat for them.




He said he believed that terrorists, who had gathered along side the Pak-Afghan border, posed a greater danger not only to the US but the whole world, including Pakistan, and if they were not destroyed, the world should be ready to meet any eventuality.




Sedney said the past US decision of putting military sanctions on Pakistan was not a right decision, which resulted in creating a gulf between the forces of the two countries. He said it was very important to increase cooperation between the security forces of the two countries. The more the forces know about each other, the better would be the result of joint operations, he added.