Author: PTI
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 11, 2009
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/188449/Pakistan-army-has-contacts-with-Taliban-leaders-Abbas.html
The Pakistan army has admitted that it is
in contact with Afghan Taliban leaders, including Mullah Mohammad Omar, and
can bring them to the negotiating table with the US if its concerns with India
are addressed.
Pakistan's chief military spokesman Maj Gen
Athar Abbas has been quoted by CNN in an interview as saying that the military
is still in contact with Taliban commanders like Mullah Omar, Jalalladin Haqqani,
Mullah Nazir and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar of the Hizb-e-Islami.
Within hours of CNN airing the report on ,
the Inter-Services Public Relations issued a denial, saying the remarks attributed
to Abbas were "totally baseless, fabricated and unfounded as well as
out of context".
"No intelligence organisation in the
world shuts its last door on any other organisation. So therefore, the contacts
are there. The communication remains," CNN quoted Abbas as saying in
the interview.
Abbas said in return for any role as a broker
between the US and the Taliban, Pakistan wants concessions from Washington
over Islamabad's concerns with long-time rival India, the channel reported.
It claimed that senior US officials had told
the channel that President Barack Obama's administration is "willing
both to talk to top Taliban leaders and to raise some of Pakistan's concerns
with India".
