Pakistan Foreign Minister Khar Pakistan refutes US claim of Zawahiri’s presence in Pakistan; US ambassador to Pakistan plans to step down; US panel cuts aids to Pakistan; Siachen talks to be held in June; Pakistan tests a short-range nuclear-capable balli
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • According to reports, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has refuted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s claim that Al Qaeda top leader Al Zawahiri is present in Pakistan. Clinton made the observation while on a tour to India. Khar said if anyone has such information, they should provide it to Pakistan. 1

    In another development, according to reports, US envoy to Pakistan Cameron Munter is planning to step down this summer. Munter, who was sworn in as ambassador to Pakistan in October 2010, has served during a period of unprecedented turbulence and suspicion between the two countries, whose uneasy alliance since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has centered around the fight against militants operating from Pakistan. 2

    According to reports, a US House of Representatives panel moved on May 9, 2012 to cut the foreign aid budget by some nine per cent, targeting economic aid and contributions to the United Nations and the World Bank. The panel maintains aid to Israel and Egypt at the administration’s requests but denies $800 million that was requested for a special fund for training and equipping Pakistan’s military in counterinsurgency tactics. 3

    Meanwhile, according to reports, Pakistan has said that it will host next round of talks with India over Siachen on June 11-12, 2012. “Siachen is part of the dialogue process between India and Pakistan and defence secretary level talks on Siachen will be held on June 11 and 12 in Islamabad,” foreign ministry spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan. “We want to resolve all issues through meaningful and result-oriented dialogue, and Siachen is an issue which is a source of concern for both the countries,” Khan added. 4

    In other developments, reports noted that Pakistan has carried out a successful test firing of a short-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile on May 10, 2012, the military said. The launch of the Hatf III, which has a range of up to 290 kilometres and can also carry conventional warheads, came at the end of a field training exercise, a military statement said. 5

    Top