From: EurasiaDigest (digest@eurasianet.org)
Date: Thu Feb 23 2006 - 10:01:08 EST
ISLAMABAD SAYS AFGHAN TERRORIST LIST EXISTS
Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said in Islamabad on 21 February that Pakistani law enforcement agencies have begun a search for 150 alleged terrorists whose names are on a list given to Pakistan by Afghanistan, the Karachi daily "Dawn" reported on 22 February. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other officials have said that they handed over to Pakistan a list of suspected members of the neo-Taliban during Karzai's recent visit, though Pakistani Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasneen Aslam denied receiving such a list (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17, 21, and 22 February 2006). Aslam mentioned that "the Interior Ministry also confirmed that it had not received any such list before the arrival" of Karzai or during his visit. "Yes, we have received a list of about 150 terrorists who are believed to be hiding in Pakistan," Sherpao told "Dawn," adding that such a list was a routine matter, because Pakistan and Afghanistan have in the past exchanged lists of alleged terrorists believed to be hiding in
either country. The confusion over the list may stem from the fact that while Kabul has mentioned a list of alleged Taliban members, Pakistani officials have mentioned a list containing names of Al-Qaeda suspects. Neither Kabul nor Islamabad has made public any names on the list. AT
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