Pakistani officials have contradicted each other on whether the suspect is Adam Gadahn, 31, who has appeared in videos threatening the West. Two intelligence officers and a senior government official identified the detained man Sunday as Gadahn. However, a different official Monday said the suspect was an American, but not Gadahn.

“We are trying to work out who he is,” said the official, who like all Pakistani intelligence agents does not allow his name to be used. “He is an American, but he is not Adam.”

The suspect was arrested recently in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, the officials said.

Pakistan is under intense U.S. pressure to arrest al-Qaida and Taliban leaders living on its soil.

Last month, the country arrested the Afghan Taliban No. 2 commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Karachi. Unnamed officials have also claimed to have detained other leaders in the movement. News of the arrests has been murky, coming primarily through Pakistani and Afghan officials speaking anonymously. None have been presented before a court or charged.

Baradar’s detention and the other reported arrests have been seen as a sign that Pakistan, which has been criticized in the past as an untrustworthy ally in the fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban, was cooperating more fully with Washington.

Pakistani agents and those from the CIA work closely on some operations in Pakistan, but it was not clear if any Americans were involved in the recent operation in Karachi or the questioning of the suspect. In the past, Pakistan has quietly handed over some al-Qaida suspects arrested on its soil to the United States.

The arrest of an American militant in Pakistan, even if it turns out not to be Gadahn, would be another example of U.S. citizens traveling abroad to join al-Qaida and the Taliban. Security analyst say such militants, while small in number, are especially dangerous because of their ability to travel the world easier on a Western passport.

In December, Pakistan police arrested five young U.S. Muslims who they allege were trying to link up with militant groups.

Gadahn, the first American to face treason charges in more than 50 years, has appeared in more than half a dozen al-Qaida videos, taunting the West and calling for its destruction. The video that surfaced Sunday showed him urging American Muslims to attack their own country.

He has been on the FBI’s most wanted list since 2004 and there is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest. He was charged with treason in 2006 and faces the death penalty if convicted. He was also charged with two counts of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The six-month battle with Islamist insurgents in the remote Bajaur district is seen as pivotal to the country’s fight against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, after bombings have killed more than 1,600 people in less than two years.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan’s government launched the Bajaur offensive in August amid heavy criticism from US and Afghan officials who say it is not doing enough to stop militants crossing into Afghanistan to attack foreign troops.

Heavy artillery and helicopter gunships have pounded Bajaur, one of Pakistan’s seven federally-administered tribal areas (FATA) along the Afghan border, in a bid to flush out militant bases, killing hundreds.

“We think that we have secured this agency (district),” said Major General Tariq Khan, the commander of forces fighting in Bajaur.

“They have lost. They have lost their cohesion out here,” Khan told reporters flown by helicopters from the capital, Islamabad.

A Pakistani army colonel named Saifullah, who gave only one name, said the military had also beaten back militants in the neighbouring tribal area of Mohmand, also on the Afghan border, where security forces have been waging lower-level offensives.

“Now the people’s minds are clear. They now believe in the strength of the force and the resolve of the government that this militancy is being pursued and is being finished,” he told reporters in Ghallanai.

“The influence of militants has reduced over a major proportion of the population and area,” the colonel added.

Pakistan is facing increased US pressure to clampdown on militant hideouts with President Barack Obama deploying an extra 17,000 troops to Afghanistan as part of a major shift in its action against global terrorist networks from Iraq to south Asia.

There was no independent verification of the Bajaur victory but the Taliban see the district as a key strategic district they cannot not afford to lose, analysts have said.

To the east is Swat, where the Taliban have called an indefinite ceasefire following a nearly two-year insurgency, while on the Afghan side is a long frontier with the Taliban hotspot of Kunar province.

Khan recommended fencing the rugged and porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent the cross-border movement of Taliban militants.

He said troops would withdraw gradually but not pull out for some time, speculating that military operations in five of Pakistan’s seven wild tribal districts could finish by the end of the year.

In Bajaur, 97 soldiers from the Pakistan army and the paramilitary Frontier Corps have been killed, while 404 troops were injured, he said.

Khan said about 50 percent of the militants were Afghans and some Sudanese and Egyptians had been killed in Bajaur in the initial stages of operation.

He described a unilateral ceasefire declared by the Taliban on Monday as “a face-saving statement”.

“There was no question of ceasefire, the resistance has melted, dissolved. It is not there,” he said.

Shafir Ullah, the chief of the Bajaur civil administration, said 1,600 militants were killed during the campaign and more than 2,000 injured while some 150 civilians also died and about 2,000 were injured in the fighting.

The pitched battles and bombardment had destroyed about 5,000 homes in Bajaur, which is home to about one million people, Ullah said.

Ullah appealed for international donors to come forward with money for reconstruction and the provision of basic services such as electricity and water to 304,598 people displaced from their homes in Bajaur.

The official said more than 180,000 had returned.

This organization has been crucial in bringing regional stability. Its contribution in the 1980s against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan could not be denied, and it operated cooperatively with multiple US agencies for a decade or more.

After Sept. 11, 2001, the American campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan could not have materialized without the willful support of Pakistan and its security organizations, including the ISI. Scores of key Al Qaeda and Taliban figures were either killed or handed over to the United States through the ISI’s help.

Supporting the United States in Afghanistan and elsewhere while combating extremism, Pakistan has incurred colossal human loss in terms of deaths of its citizens and security officials.

Recurring suicide attacks on Pakistan’s security officials in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and target killing of its members in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and elsewhere illustrate the frustration and damage Pakistan has caused to the militants and terrorists.

Allegations of the ISI’s cadres operating in connivance with the Taliban or Al-Qaeda and portrayals of the agency as an autonomous body are not based on fact. The ISI operates under complete control of the civilian government, and American authorities are convinced of the credibility of this institution following the return of Pakistan to full democracy.

Nadeem H. Kiani
Press attache
Embassy of Pakistan
Washington

Richard Holbrooke, considered the architect of peace in Bosnia, was due to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and military chiefs, the foreign ministry said.

US President Barack Obama has called Afghanistan the main front in the “war on terror” and plans to send a further 30,000 troops there, doubling the US contingent fighting a Taliban-led insurgency along with NATO forces.

Holbrooke will hold top-level talks in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India before “reporting back” to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Obama.

“I am here to listen and learn the ground realities of this critically important country,” Holbrooke was quoted as saying in a statement released by the US embassy after his arrival in Islamabad late Monday.

“The United States looks forward to reviewing our policies and renewing our commitment and friendship with the people of Pakistan,” he added.

The foreign ministry said Islamabad was looking for fresh perspective on security, stability and development, to address “militancy, terrorism and extremism effectively” in a “comprehensive and holistic strategy”.

But Holbrooke will likely face criticism from a civilian government worried that US missile strikes against militant targets on its territory will exacerbate its domestic problems and unpopularity.

Islamabad’s relations with Washington and Kabul have been strained over accusations that Pakistan is not doing enough to eradicate Islamist “safe havens” on its territory.

Pakistan, reeling from attacks that have killed more than 1,500 people in 20 months, has welcomed the US policy review.

Holbrooke’s mission will be further complicated by an escalating blame game between India and Pakistan over the Mumbai attacks, which New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

The United States has also expressed concern that nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb who was freed from house arrest last week, will not be involved in nuclear proliferation.

“What is required in my view is new ideas, better coordination within the US government, better coordination with our NATO allies and other concerned countries, and the time to get it right,” Holbrooke said in Germany on Sunday.

“Pakistan’s situation is dire,” he said. “It needs international assistance, international sympathy and international support.”

Pakistan wants the US missile attacks to end, US aid (10 billion dollars under ex-ruler Pervez Musharraf) and renewed diplomacy on Kashmir, an issue at the heart of its troubles with India but which Washington says is not within Holbrooke’s mandate.

Islamabad said Monday its investigators needed more information from India to complete a probe into the Mumbai attacks in November, when 10 gunmen killed 165 people during a 60-hour siege.

New Delhi blamed the attacks on the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is active in Indian-ruled Kashmir, but the outfit has denied responsibility.

Islamabad is under intense pressure from Washington, other western nations and Kabul to eliminate Taliban and Al-Qaeda havens in the tribal belt, from where fighters are said to stage attacks on foreign forces in Afghanistan.

But experts say Pakistan’s desire to please the United States, a vital political and military ally, has run up against its own strategic interests in the region and its loyalty to Pashtuns, the predominant ethnicity among the Taliban.

“Pakistan’s Taliban policy has suffered from indecisiveness, inconsistency and ambiguity,” political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP.

“Pakistan’s choices will become tougher in the future because its efforts to control the Taliban do not enjoy support throughout society. A good number of ordinary people see India as more of a threat than the Taliban.”

The extremist Taliban movement emerged in the mid-1990s from Islamic schools along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and — with Islamabad’s support — eventually seized power in Kabul in 1996.

At the time, Pakistan’s security establishment wanted a pro-Islamabad regime in Kabul that would give the country a foothold in Afghanistan, and much-needed strategic depth in the region to use against its nuclear-armed rival India.

President Pervez Musharraf disowned the regime following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States — carried out by Al-Qaeda which was being harboured by the Taliban.

However, he allowed thousands of Taliban to enter his country’s northwest tribal belt after their ouster in a US-led invasion in late 2001.

“Pakistan did not want to sever all of its links with the Taliban movement, as doing so would have Pakistan totally out of the regional power game in Afghanistan,” defence analyst Riffat Hussain told AFP.

Fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is still widely believed to be hiding in the lawless tribal areas.

“Tens of thousands of Taliban poured into Pakistan’s northwest and southwest but security forces were under strict orders only to arrest Al-Qaeda members,” a senior security official with knowledge of counter-terrorism policy told AFP.

Hussain, head of strategic studies at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, said former military ruler Musharraf, who resigned last year, had two reasons for tolerating the militants’ presence on Pakistani soil.

“Musharraf personally believed that there were many good Taliban who should be co-opted in the post-Taliban power dispensation in Afghanistan,” Hussain said.

Islamabad also wanted an “insurance policy” against the US-backed government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, which it viewed as hostile, he added.

Another security official said that barring the Taliban from Pakistani soil would have angered ethnic Pashtuns at home, saying: “Antagonising them completely is against our long-term national interest.”

But putting up with the Taliban was a risky policy, and security officials say it has backfired, as the extremists formed alliances with other militant groups and started attacking Pakistani targets.

Those militant groups — such as that of renegade warlord Baitullah Mehsud, believed to have masterminded the assassination of Pakistani former premier Benazir Bhutto — are now allied with the Al-Qaeda network.

“For years Pakistan targeted Al-Qaeda and tolerated the Taliban, but this policy has failed and resulted in making the Taliban a strong force not just in Afghanistan, but in many parts of Pakistan,” a top security official told AFP.

Musharraf’s successor Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani now must review Pakistan’s role in the US-led “war on terror,” which may mean a rethink on the Taliban.

“Pakistan will be asked to become the anvil for the hammer of American special forces operations in the tribal areas,” Hussain said, predicting that Islamabad could be asked to stage joint anti-militant operations with the US.

Askari agreed, but said Islamabad would ask Washington to put a stop to attacks on militant targets in the border zone by unmanned CIA aircraft because “they create credibility problems” for the Pakistani government.

“Pakistan faces a double challenge — controlling the Taliban in the tribal areas and containing militant groups based in mainland Pakistan,” Askari said.

“Unless there is a simultaneous development of internal stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the problem may not be addressed.” – AFP

The spokesman said “at this juncture when the new administration is about to take office, news story like the one by David Sanger is indeed most unfortunate and contrary to the facts.”

Pakistan is fully cognizant of its responsibilities as a nuclear weapon state and has taken all requisite steps to ensure the safety and security of its nuclear assets and materials, he said and added: Pakistan continues to accord high attention to these matters.

“We are prepared to continue to working closely with the international community on arms control and disarmament issues and engage with the US and other nuclear weapon states with a view to enhancing mutual trust and  confidence in relevant domains, including prevention of risks of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, on an equitable and non-discriminatory basis,” he said.

In an interaction with American and international experts at a Washington think tank, Stephen Hedley explained the U.S. foreign policy pursued under outgoing President George Bush and acknowledged Islamabad’s anti‑terrorism resolve as well as its critical counterterrorism role over the years since September 11, 2001.

Hadley, who spoke on the eve of Vice President‑elect Joseph Biden’s visit to the region as US senator for a first‑hand assessment for the new administration’s Southwest Asian policy, pointed out the importance that Pakistan’s stability holds for the United States in both bilateral and regional perspectives.

“I think that Pakistan is a victim of terror. And one of the things that people have focused on is, well, activities in certain of the border regions of Pakistan make more difficult achieving democratic stability in Afghanistan ‑‑‑ But I think one of the things we’ve also seen is that those—that terrorist presence—Taliban, al Qaeda, and other extremist groups—also are a threat to Pakistan.

“And I think the—this democratic government in Pakistan understands that. If you talk to President (Asif Ali) Zardari, he says, you don’t need to tell me that Pakistanis are victims of terror; the terrorists killed my wife (Benazir Bhutto),”he stated at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In the speech one of the last by top officials of the Bush Administration that transfers power to Obama Administration on January 20 ‑ Hadley said the democratic government has brought with it an opportunity to confront the challenges of violent extremism more effectively. At the same time he recognized the toughness of the problem.

“So what you have is a democratic government in Pakistan, and we think that is a real opportunity, because we think that democratic government has the opportunity to rally the people of Pakistan in—behind what is going to be a very difficult fight.”
Defending Pakistan’s role in the fight against terrorism in the face of complex situation, he cited Islamabad’s success against al‑Qaeda in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 events and reminded that last year “Pakistan went into a very difficult political transition from which this new government has emerged.”

“And that’s where we are—a new government that I think is talking clearly that it wants to confront terror ‑‑‑ and has probably as difficult a challenge to deal with the various groups that it has of any nation.

“And that’s why I think it is going to be one of the key challenges, because success in Pakistan, overcoming this challenge, is important for stability in Pakistan, which is important to us in itself. 

But stability in Pakistan is also going to be important and success in the war on terror in Pakistan is also going to be important if we’re going to take care of the problem in Afghanistan and if we are going to get Pakistan and Indian relations to continue on a positive footing,” he said in disagreement with an Indian journalist who suggested Pakistan had not done enough despite getting U.S. assistance.

“So there is a lot at stake in Pakistan, and they have as daunting a task as any government today. And it is going to be very important for the new team to support their efforts, and I’m encouraged.  I think you’ve seen statements from President‑elect Obama, certainly from Vice President‑elect   Biden, that I think they understand the challenge that Pakistan faces, and that means the challenge we face.”

Comment: It is worth mentioning that Pakistan has done more in war against terror than any other country, even more so than United States has, considering the toll on Pakistan’s economy, human death toll, suicide bombings and over 120k soldiers deployed. Moreover, Pakistan is the lifeline to NATO and American forces who are fighting war on terror in Afghanistan. Pakistan paid with blood and has done enough for its “friends.”

“ Mumbai attacks was a big incident which caused great damage and we need to get to the bottom of it to carve out a strategy so that such incidents do not recur”, Foreign Minister said while talking to the newsmen upon his arrival at the local airport.

“We all face the problem of terrorism and stressed the need to tackle the menace through a joint struggle”, he said.

He said Pakistan was pursuing a policy of maintaining friendly ties with all neighbouring countries i.e. Iran, Afghanistan, China and India. Friendly ties with India was in the interest of Pakistan and would ensure stability in the region, he added.

When asked whether Pakistan would revise its list of friends keeping in view the Indian attitude, Foreign Minister said: “List of friends does not change overnight.”

He said the Mumbai attacks paused the composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan but added that Pakistan was trying to ease the stress.

After heightening tensions in the wake of Mumbai attacks, Foreign Ministry had followed a three-point agenda. Firstly to avoid war for we believed it would bring destruction to both the countries. Secondly, to save Pakistan from isolation and thirdly to ensure internal stability. “We have reached near our objectives,” he added.

He said that the situation was improving and tension had defused comparatively. He gave the credit for this to efforts made by Pakistan, suggestions put forward by it, and the important role played by some important countries.

He, however, added that it would be unwise to suggest every thing was all right. “Problem still exists and we need to get to the bottom of it to stop recurrence of Mumbai like incidents”, he said.

Pakistan today faces tough challenges and internal stability was a prerequisite to counter them.

To a question, FM said that Pakistan’s stance remains unchanged on Kashmir issue.

The Foreign Minister said Pakistan has an extradition treaty with US, but no such an agreement exists with India.

Responding to a question about Israeli attack on Gaza, he said that Israel should halt aerial and ground attack and resolve the issue through dialogue after restoring ceasefire status. “We believe the attack has no justification and should come to a halt immediately”, he added.

He said that Pakistan has condemned the Israeli aggression and added that Pakistan’s stance on the issue has a historical perspective and remains unchanged. “We stick to our stance that violence can not solve problems.”

“Today, we need to show solidarity and the Ummah should raise voice on this serious matter that involves human sufferings”, he added.

He said that Pakistan actively participated in the meeting of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) that discussed the issue in detail. He said that the matter was also under discussion by other countries and at the UN forum adding that a resolution of Security Council of UN exists and the world body was now pondering over the ground attack issue today (Sunday).

The Foreign Minister contradicted reports regarding change in government or whether his name was under consideration for Prime Minister slot.

He said that UN has decided to form an inquiry commission to investigate the assassination of martyred PPP leader Benazir Bhutto.

He said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s martyrdom was a national tragedy. Her martyrdom was a severe blow not only to Pakistan but the whole region, he added.

He said “Benazir Bhutto has left behind a vacuum that will hardly be filled and that is why it is our desire to get to the bottom of the facts behind the assassination of our leader”.

To a question on governance issue, the Foreign Minister said that civil institutions were weakened, some almost left dysfunctional, during last eight to ten years of rule by previous regime. He said that government was focusing on strengthening institutions in order to to bring political stability and to furthet improve governance.

He said that “improved governance needs liaison, harmony and compatibility among the three tiers of government including federal, provincial and local”.

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that it has been agreed in principle between Iran and Pakistan that Iran will supply 1000 megawatt to the national grid and another 100 megawatt for Gwadar. The development took place during a meeting of Pakistan’s Water and Power Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf with his Iranian counterpart.

Foreign Minister, however, added that execution on the initiative needs transmission lines and lot of other things and will take time to complete.

He held demand and supply gap in electricity generation responsible for power crisis but added that loadshedding duration will reduce shortly as a decision has been made to take practical steps to enhance thermal power generation capacity in a high level meeting held two days ago.

He said that hydal power generation capacity reduces during winter times when water outflow at such facilities becomes low or zero. He said that after Tarbela, Ghazi Barotha was the only other hydal power project undertaken by the PPP government led by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, then Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Stating that Water and Energy were their main targets during last China visit, FM said, we will pay another visit to China soon to take benefit from their expertise in building big dams, and energy generation technologies. We will also try to attract investment from China, he said but added that the initiatives taken today will take some time to materialize.

When asked about price of petrol and gas, he said that it was heartening to note the price of petroleum products falling in the international market. He added that government has reduced the price of petrol twice in the country, however, before looking into further reduction, government will also have to keep in view the overall fiscal position and the borrowing from IMF. We have to keep in view the target of bringing fiscal deficit down by June 30 and our resources generation effort while pondering over further reduction in price of petrol.

According to initial reports, an unidentified person hurled a hand grenade, followed by a powerful explosion at 6.55 p.m.,  when the Rescue 15 personnel were inspecting the site for the first explosion.

The dead policemen of Rescue 15 and civilians were identified as Ijaz Hussain, Tariq, Shafiq, Rashid, Bashir, Dr Tahir Saleem Awan and Imran. It is feared that the death toll may rise, the reports added.

Dr. Ashiq Saleem said that most of the injured were police and FC personnel including DSP  Kifayat and DIG’s Public Relations Offier Muhammad Ramzan.

Rescue operation was underway and the injured were being shifted to various hospitals of the city.