NA body seeks comprehensive report on Blackwater

Interior secretary tells NA standing committee no Blackwater personnel operating in the country




Daily Times




ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the Interior Ministry's claim of the "non-existence" of the US-based security firm Blackwater in the country, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on Monday directed the ministry to present a comprehensive report on the issue.




The committee - headed by Abdul Qadir Patel - directed Interior Ministry officials to inform the NA body about the "foreigners operating in the country with sophisticated weapons".




The committee directed the ministry to resubmit its report on Blackwater's presence in the country, after taking credible input from intelligence agencies and the US embassy.




Earlier, the committee sought an explanation from the interior ministry regarding US Defence Secretary Robert Gates statement about the existence of Blackwater in Pakistan.




Refused: Interior Ministry Secretary Qamar Zaman Chaudhry told the committee that there were no Blackwater personnel operating in the country, and no agency by the name of 'Blackwater' had ever been registered. The committee members refused to accept Chaudhry's statement. Patel said Gates had admitted that Blackwater was operating in Pakistan during his recent visit to the country. Awami National Party parliamentarian Bushra Gohar said she had "no doubts" about Blackwater's existence in Pakistan. "The NWFP senior minister, Bashir Ahmad Bilour has also confirmed Blackwater's presence in Peshawar," she added.