Musharraf admits lapses in anti-terror war
Pakistan to fence part of Afghan border
Afp, Rawalpindi
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf said yesterday that some members of the security forces had turned a "blind eye" towards Taliban militants launching attacks in Afghanistan. But the president angrily rejected allegations, by Afghanistan in particular, that Pakistan's intelligence services or the army were collaborating with the insurgents. "We had some incidents I know of that in some posts, a blind eye was being turned," Musharraf told a press conference when asked about criticism of Pakistan's cooperation in the US-led "war on terror." "So similarly I imagine that others may be doing the same." Musharraf gave the example of a typical checkpost on the Afghan border, saying it was difficult if only two men on guard are faced with a group of "20 well-armed, well-trained and well-motivated people challenging them." His remarks came two weeks after outgoing US intelligence director John Negroponte said that Pakistan was harbouring al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents. Musharraf became a close US ally in fighting terrorism after the September 11 attacks on the United States but his country -- including the ISI intelligence service -- has been repeatedly accused of helping militants. "To cast aspersions on the army or ISI is absolutely wrong," he told around 100 journalists at Camp House, his official army residence. Musharraf said during a visit to the United States in October that he was investigating possible support to the rebels from retired Pakistani intelligence officials. He made no comment on the matter on Friday. But the president called on Nato and US forces based in Afghanistan to do more to tackle the cross-border movement of militants, adding that Pakistan could not win the fight against militancy on its own. "It is also up to Nato, Isaf (international troops) -- and we refuse to take full responsibility for crossing of the border," Musharraf said. "They must increase their (border) posts and hold the border more strongly." Musharraf said that Pakistan would fence 35 kilometres (22 miles) of its northwestern border with Afghanistan to stop the movement of Taliban militants. "We are doing it, we have decided. The movement of logistics has taken place," Musharraf said. The president said the construction of the fence "will take a few months to execute." "The area we are fencing at the moment is about 35.2 kilometres in all, they are in seven or eight different pieces," Musharraf said.
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