Pakistan rejects accusations it's harbouring terror leaders

Rejecting accusations from America’s top spy that Pakistan is harbouring al-Qaida and Taliban leaders, Islamabad today said it remained committed to fighting international terrorism and extremism.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that John Negroponte’s claim that Pakistan represents a major source of Islamic extremism and a refuge for top terror leaders is “incorrect".

“In breaking the back of al-Qaida, Pakistan has done more than any other country in the world,” the statement said.

Negroponte, the National Intelligence Director, said in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday that “eliminating the safe haven that the Taliban and other extremists have found in Pakistan’s tribal areas is not sufficient to end the insurgency in Afghanistan, but it is necessary".

US officials have said they believe al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and other top terror commanders are taking refuge in the region, likely on the Pakistani side of the border.

The Foreign Ministry statement said “it is also a fact that there are al-Qaida elements active in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, as Mr Negroponte has said, but it would be incorrect to link them to any remnants of al-Qaida in Pakistan".