It seems that a political faction in Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Islami, were aiding latest bacth of captured al queda suspects. I think that Pakistan is cooperating as much as it needs to be to save their asses from spare terrorists bombs domestically.
Khalid Shaikh still in Pakistan
By Syed Irfan Raza and Mohammad Asghar
ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI, March 2: Interior minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said on Sunday that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the main Al Qaeda suspect who was arrested along with his colleagues in Rawalpindi on Saturday , would not be handed over to the US unless investigation in the case being conducted by local agencies was completed.
However, according to foreign media, the Al Qaeda suspect, who is believed to be the mastermind of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks and a close aide of Osama bin Laden, was shifted to the United States on Sunday morning.
Talking to Dawn, the interior minister said a case had been registered against the accused with a local police station. However, it had not been decided so far that in which court the case would be tried.
He said one Pakistani, identified as Ahmed Qudoos who was also apprehended during the Saturday raid, would not be handed over to the US. "If he is declared guilty, he will be dealt with according to the local law," he said.
Responding to a query, he said no Pakistani would be handed over to any country in future. However, Pakistan and the US have an extradition treaty under which the governments of both the countries are bound to hand over any of their nationals wanted in any case in either country.
The minister said after the conclusion of investigation the main suspect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and his accomplice would be handed over to the government of their country. "If the government of their country asks Pakistan to hand over them to the US then Pakistan will consider it to do so," he added.
When asked about the nationality of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the minister said so far it had not been confirmed.
Mr Hayat termed the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed a big breakthrough achieved by the law enforcement agencies in the operation against Al Qaeda network, saying the accused was wanted by both Pakistani and the US governments.
He said preliminary interrogation had given some clues about other Al Qaeda suspects hiding in Pakistan.
To a question about link between the JI activists and Al Qaeda suspects, the minister said the JI should tell the nation why its activists were found involved in the case.
"We would also take up the issue at the government level," he added.
The Khawaja brothers who were arrested for having links with Al Qaeda from Lahore were members of the Jamaat but the party had denied it, the minister said.
"We will not allow anyone to use the country's soil for any act of terrorism or harbouring terrorists," the minister said.
Meanwhile, mother of the arrested Pakistani Ahmed Qudoos held a press conference in Rawalpindi, terming the arrest of her son illogical. She confirmed the presence of FBI officials in the raid in which three people were arrested at his residence at Westridge, one of the posh localities in the city.
Ahmed Qudoos and his wife are stated to be members of Jamaat-i-Islami.
Meanwhile, activists of Islami Jamiat Talaba staged a demonstration in front of Dawn's Islamabad office on Sunday to protest against the arrest of Ahmed Qudoos by the FBI.
They threatened the government of dire consequences if Mr Qudoos was not released. "We would start killing all people who are against Islam whether they are in Pakistan or anywhere else if the FBI operation against Al Qaeda is not stopped in Pakistan," they said.
SHEIKH RASHID: Information minister Sheikh Rashid said that the Al Qaeda suspects had not been shifted out of Pakistan so far as they were being interrogated by a joint investigation team comprising US and Pakistani security officials.
Talking to Dawn, Sheikh Rashid said: "More raids are likely to be conducted in near future to break the network."
The minister said he was not in a position to disclose the name of the second foreign national who was nabbed during the raid because he had not been disclosing his real name before the investigating team.
When asked whether the suspects had been shifted to any other place in Pakistan, he refused to disclose the location.
The minister said that it was surprising that almost all the suspects arrested so far had been staying with the Jamaat-i-Islami members.
Meanwhile, a senior government official told Dawn that the government had found solid proof of the link of the arrested persons with Al Qaeda. Their arrest could provide the US authorises new clues in the hunt for other members of Al Qaeda, he said.
During the raid the authorities seized a Kalashnikov, a pistol and a computer, which the authorities claimed, was being used by the suspects for contacting other people.
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