8/14/2019 Complaint about 9/11 Commission Remarks about Pakistan from Pakistani Ambassador to US

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EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN3517 InternationalCourt, N.W.WASHINGTON, D.C. 20008

AMBASSADOR OP PAKISTAN

N O . A m b . / 6 / O A June22,2004.

Dear Mr. Chairman,I am addressing this letter to you with reference to the recent StaffStatements that contain following unwarranted remarks on the nature of therelationship that existed between Pakistan and the then Taliban regime inAfghanistan:

"Pakistan did not break with the Taliban until after 9/11, although itwas well aw are that the Taliban were harbouring Bin Laden." "The Taliban's ability to provide Bin Laden a haven in the face ofinternational pressure and UN sanctions was sufficiently facilitated byPakistani support." "Pakistan benefited from the Taliban-Al Qaeda relationship as BinLaden's camps trained and equipped fighters fo r Pakistan's ongoingstruggle w ith India over Kashmir."2. Moreover, several newspapers have carried a statement attributed toyou, alleging that "there were a lot more active (A l Qaeda) contacts, frankly,with Iran and with Pakistan than there were with Iraq". Los Angeles Timesof 21 June 2004, has carried an article, allegedly based on statementsattributed to the Comm ission mem bers and staff that:

"Pakistan and Saudi Arabia helped set the stage for the September 11attacks by cutting deals with the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden." "Pakistan provided even more direct assistance, its military andintelligence agencies often coordinating efforts with the Taliban andAl Qaeda." "Such efforts allowed A l Qaeda's network of cells to burrow deeplyinto the social and religious fabric of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,enabling the organization to survive the U.S. led demolition of itsheadquarters in Afghanistan in 2001, to regroup and to launch new

8/14/2019 Complaint about 9/11 Commission Remarks about Pakistan from Pakistani Ambassador to US

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waves of attacksincluding the kidnapping and beheading of anAmerican engineer in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, last week."

"The governments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia intentionally ignoredBin Laden's efforts in their countries or even cut deals with him,either out of sympathy with his efforts or to protect themselves fromattack." "Saudi and Pakistani governments played important roles in thegrowth of Al Qaeda."

"Many US officials believe that both governments have been slow topurge their ranks of pro Al Qaeda, pro Taliban elements."

"Pakistanis, meanwhile, were in with the Taliban and Al Qaeda up totheir eyeballs",

"Bin Laden, for instance, negotiated his 1996 move to Afghanistanthrough Pakistan's powerful military intelligence leadership". "Hewouldn't go back there without Pakistan's approval." "Pakistani intelligence officers also allegedly brought Bin Laden tomeet Mullah Omar soon after his arrival in Afghanistan and thenhelped forge an alliance between the men that enabled the Taliban totrample competing factions and take over much of Afghanistan."

"ISI also was instrumental in helping Al Qaeda set up aninfrastructure in its own country and in Afghanistan and the twooutfits jointly operated training camps along the border wheremilitants were taught guerilla warfare."

"Bin Laden has had personal relationships with top intelligenceofficials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, dating to the early 1980s,when they became involved in the decade long war that expelled theSoviet occupying army from Afghanistan."

3. First of all, let me clarify the reasons fo r Pakistan's recognition of theTaliban regime. As a matter of policy, Pakistan has always maintaineddiplomatic relations with the sitting government in Kabul, irrespective of itspolitical and ideological inclinations, including its policies towardsPakistan. This has been a geopolitical necessity because the two countrieshave a common border that is inhabited by populations with close links oneither side of it. Accordingly, it was not practicable for Pakistan to eschewties with any government in Kabul. Pakistan maintained diplomatic relationseven with hostile regimes in Kabul, including the Communist regimes ofTarakai and Hafizullah Amin, and the Soviet imposed regimes of BabrakKarmal and Najibullah.

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4. Maintaining diplomatic relations with the Taliban regime did notimply Pakistan's approval or endorsement of its policies. On the contrary,Pakistan tried its best to persuade the Taliban regime to take account ofinternational opinion and to comply with UN Security Council resolutions,including the handing over of Osama Bin Laden to an appropriate tribunal toanswer charges against him.5. It is simply inaccurate to state that Pakistan in any way enabled theTaliban to harbour Osama Bin Laden. The Taliban were not open todiscussion on this matter. As the international isolation of the Taliban grewtheir dependence on Osama Bin Laden also developed. That was why we didnot support the isolation of the Taliban regime despite our distaste for itspolicies. Whatever influence we were able to wield with the Taliban was,contrary to the allegations cited above, an influence on behalf of moderationand reason and not extremism and violence. Unfortunately, ou r influencewas always limited and as the Taliban felt increasingly isolated andbesieged, our influence with them declined.6. The allegation that "Osama Bin Laden trained fighters for Pakistan'sstruggle with India over Kashmir" is both inaccurate and misleading. TheKashmiris' struggle for freedom predates the arrival of Osama Bin Laden inAfghanistan and is rooted in the alienation of the Kashmiri people and theirdetermination to resist military occupation and repression. To imply that thefreedom struggle in occupied Kashmir owes anything to Osama Bin Laden isjust about as unfair as one can get.7. Similarly, there is no basis to the several allegations to the effect thatthe Government of Pakistan facilitated Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda inAfghanistan. On the contrary, we saw the growing influence of Al Qaeda inAfghanistan as a threat to our own security and a recipe for disaster inAfghanistan. In cooperation with the UN, the US and other neighbours ofAfghanistan, we sought to minimize external influences in Afghanistan andwe sought to apprise the Taliban of the dangers their association with AlQaeda spelled for Afghanistan.8. It is particularly disappointing to read these allegations at a time whenPakistani soldiers are sacrificing their lives and President Musharraf hasrisked his personal safety in the good fight against Al Qaeda, Taliban andother extremist elements. It is no exaggeration to say that as a result of thecooperation between Pakistan and the US the back of Al Qaeda has been

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broken and,we trust, a re-visitation of the awful tragedy of September 11,2001 has been rendered extremely unlikely.

Yours sincerely,

(Ashraf JehangirQ

Mr. Thomas H. Kean,Chairman,NationAlCommission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States301 7th Street, SWRoom 5125Washington, DC 20407W a s h i n g t o n Off ice*T e l : (202) 331-4060Fax: (202) 296-5545

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