Author: Press Trust of India
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: April 10, 2006
URL: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=65815
US media is investigating claims by a senior
foreign office official that Pakistan spent thousands of dollars through its
lobbyists to drop some of the negative findings about the country from the
9/11 Commission report.
If this claim turns out to be true, it might
land Pakistan in trouble in this country because it would amount to an attempt
to improperly influence public officials assigned with ascertaining the truth
about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Pakistani newspaper Daily Times reported
from Washington today.
A report in Lahore-based weekly Friday Times
last month quoted a testimony before the Public Accounts Committee of Pakistan
by Muhammad Sadiq, who was No.2 at the Pakistan embassy in Washington, stating
that that a lot of money had been spent to 'silence' members of the inquiry
Commission and induce them to go 'soft' on Pakistan.
According to Sadiq 'dramatic changes' were
made in the final draft of the Commission's report after Pakistani lobbyists
arranged meetings with members of the investigation body and convinced them
to remove anti-Pakistan findings.
The officer further claimed that Pakistan
won the sympathies of 75 American Congressmen as part of its strategy to guard
its national interests in the US.
