PAKISTAN defiantly dug in its heels yesterday and insisted it would not allow foreign forces to enter its territory in search of Osama bin Laden, setting the stage for a major new clash between President Pervez Musharraf and critics who claim Islamabad is double-dealing with al-Qa'ida and the Taliban.
Speaking in the Pakistani capital, senior government officials rejected absolutely the notion of foreign forces setting foot inside the country to hunt bin Laden and other senior al-Qa'ida and Taliban figures who Western intelligence sources are convinced are hiding in the remote territory of North Waziristan, close to the Afghan border.
Tasnim Aslam, a senior official in Islamabad, said: "Any terrorist action to be taken inside Pakistani territory would be taken by Pakistan. He (Musharraf) has said that he would not allow foreign troops to come inside our territory." |