Pakistan military denies BBC report on Taliban links

A number of Taliban commanders revealed the extent of Pakistani support they get in interviews for a BBC documentary.


Reuters October 27, 2011

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan's military strongly denied Thursday a BBC report that alleged the Pakistani military, along with its intelligence arm, supplied and protected the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda.

A number of middle-ranking Taliban commanders detailed what they said was extensive Pakistani support in interviews for a BBC Two documentary series, the first part of which was broadcast Wednesday.

A former head of Afghan intelligence also told the program Afghanistan gave Pakistan's former president, General Pervez Musharraf, information in 2006 that Osama bin Laden was hiding in northern Pakistan. The former al Qaeda leader was killed in the same area by US special forces in May this year.

"We consider that this report is highly biased, it is one-sided, it doesn't have the version of the side which is badly hit or affected by this report," Major General Athar Abbas, spokesman for the Pakistani military, told Reuters.

"So therefore, other than that, it's factually incorrect."

One Taliban commander, Mullah Qaseem, told the BBC that Pakistan had played a significant role in providing supplies and a hiding place for Afghan Taliban fighters.

Abbas denied the claim, questioning Qaseem's credibility.

He said the head of Pakistan's spy agency, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had already said "not a single bullet or financial support" had been given to groups named in the BBC report.

The United States has long suspected Pakistan, or elements within the ISI, of supporting militant groups in order to increase its influence in Afghanistan, particularly after Nato combats troops leave in 2014.

In September, Admiral Mike Mullen, then the top US military officer, accused Pakistani intelligence of backing violence against US targets including the US embassy in Kabul. He said the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, blamed for the September 13 embassy attack, was a "veritable arm" of the ISI.

Pakistan denies the US allegations.

Pakistan supported the Afghan Taliban before the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. It was one of only three countries to have diplomatic relations with the group.

Abbas said the number of attacks against the ISI by the Pakistani Taliban was proof the ISI did not support militants.

COMMENTS (89)

Ahmer Ali | 12 years ago | Reply

Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.There is a phrase in Punjabi,id est,par tusi deyo kaan asi aap khud bana liyan ge" and in English "give us a wing and we shall make crow ourselves".Advanced Western countries are doing the same with Pakistan because Pakistani leaders provide clues about the terrorism to them and they fabricate themselves.You don't provide them clues about terrorism and they can't fabricate.This is our corrupt leaders' the biggest committed mistake even blunder when they provide advanced Western countries' leaders clues about terrorism and they fabricate and don't miss any chance to defame Pakistan in regard of terrorism.

Solomon2 | 12 years ago | Reply

If the military really thought the report was a lie they would be going after the Pakistani sources who supplied false information to the BBC, rather than the reporters themselves. Just as the military is pursuing the doctor who helped the Americans find Osama Bin Laden, rather than investigate which Pakistanis helped Al-Qaeda's leader.

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