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North Waziristan security situation is ‘worrisome’: Olson

US envoy says Washington welcomes release of Taliban cadres.

Our Correspondent November 28, 2012 1 min read

LAHORE: US Ambassador Richard Olson has said that the security situation in the North Waziristan tribal region is “worrisome”.

However, he also sought dispel the impression that Washington was pushing Islamabad to go after the Haqqani network – the deadliest of all Taliban factions – which, they believe, is based in North Waziristan.

The United States has a clear position: it’s for the Pakistan government to decide whether a military operation should be launched or not, Ambassador Olson told journalists in Lahore on Tuesday.

He added that both Pakistan and the US understood that extremism was a common concern, which should be addressed properly.

About the regional situation, Ambassador Olson said his country welcomed the release of some Afghan Taliban cadres by Pakistan to facilitate the peace and reconciliation process in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The US administration welcomes the recent visit of the Afghan High Peace Council to Islamabad and the subsequent release of some Taliban leaders by Pakistan, he said.

A delegation of the Afghan High Peace Council, led by its chief Salahuddin Rabbani, visited Islamabad earlier this month and held extensive talks with Pakistani civil and military leaders.

Olson said the US appreciated the joint working process of Pakistan and Afghanistan to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. Asked about the release of Afghan Taliban cadres by Pakistan, Olson said his country welcomed all such processes.

Asked about the anti-Islam movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’, Ambassador Olson said the US administration did not have any links with such hate films. The US administration has already stated its position on the issue, he added.

Tuesday’s trip was Olson’s second visit to Lahore, where he met with Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa. During his first visit, he had met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2012.