Pakistan summons US ambassador over report

Islamabad has summoned the US ambassador to Pakistan in protest against a recent report by the US Department of Defense that accuses Pakistan of providing a safe haven for militant groups in the region.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that in the report, the Progress Towards Security and Stability in Afghanistan, submitted to the Congress, Washington had lodged “unsubstantiated allegations” against Islamabad.

“Pakistan’s protest over these unwarranted comments was conveyed by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sartaj Aziz to the US Ambassador Richard Olson at the Foreign Ministry today,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement also said that the report, which is more than 100 pages in length, contained allegations of the existence of terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, and that proxy forces were operating against Kabul and New Delhi from inside Pakistani territories.

The US report accuses Pakistan of using “these proxy forces to hedge against the loss of influence in Afghanistan and to counter India’s superior military.”

“Such allegations are of particular concern at this point when Pakistan government has launched comprehensive operations against militants in North Waziristan,” the Pakistani statement added.

Pakistan’s military launched its Zarb-i-Azb offensive against local and foreign pro-Taliban militants in the country’s tribal region back in June.