ISLAMABAD (November 21 2009): Pakistan on Friday expressed its serious concerns over the US Central Intelligence Agency's interference in the country's internal matters, including its covert support to some terrorists and the terrorist activities they carried out over the past few weeks or months and presented to the visiting CIA chief some proof in this regard.

Sources said that during the meeting of CIA chief Leon E. Panetta, who is on an unannounced visit to Pakistan, Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha said that CIA officials were assisting the terrorist elements who were carrying out terror attacks on Pakistan and asked him to shun such practices.

Sources said that ISI chief told him that Pakistani intelligence agencies had incriminating evidence about the CIA officials' involvement in providing assistance to perpetrators of some terrorist activities within Pakistan, which had negative impact on Pakistan's efforts towards war on terror.

The sources said that ISI chief also told the CIA top official that Pakistan was fully committed to flushing out terrorists from Pakistani soil, adding that there is no reality about the presence of any "Quetta Shura" and the presence of al Qaeda or Taliban leadership as perceived by the US.

Sources further said the CIA chief also met President Zardari. The President emphasised that US must fully share its Afghan policy with Pakistan and that his country's input should also be included in the new policy. It has also been learnt that the President also underlined that the US policy towards Afghanistan must take into account Pakistan's concerns relating to the possible surge of US and Isaf forces in Afghanistan, which may entail negative implications for the situation in Balochistan.

The CIA chief also met Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. The Prime Minister conveyed to the US that its new Afghan policy should not disturb the regional balance in South Asia. Gilani emphasised that the US must fully share the contours of its roadmap for Afghanistan and ensure incorporation of Pakistan's input in its new policy. In the meeting, the US Afghan policy review also came under discussion.

He stressed that the new Afghan policy of US government should not disturb the regional balance in South Asia. Gilani said it was imperative to remove misgivings, build trust and seek to align the respective strategic concepts of both Pakistan and the US to steadfastly move forward in strategic partnership between the two countries.

The Prime Minister stressed the need for close co-ordination between the intelligence agencies of both sides to effectively counter the prevalent misperceptions in the relationship. The Director of US Central Intelligence Agency assured the Prime Minister that the US was fully conscious of Pakistan's pivotal role in the war against terrorism and restoration of stability in Afghanistan.

"The US considers Pakistan a strategic partner with whom it wants to build a long-term and sustained relationship even beyond the co-operation in countering the militancy and extremism," he added. He agreed with the Prime Minister that operational functioning between the two militaries and intelligence agencies was the need of the hour against the threat of terrorism.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2009