hilary-clinton-india-afp-670
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on May 6. — Photo AFP

KOLKATA: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday the United States believed the chief of al Qaeda was in Pakistan and she vowed to keep up pressure on militant groups in the country.

“We want to disable al Qaeda and we have made a lot of progress in doing that,” Clinton told an audience in India, a week after the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by US special forces.

“There are several significant leaders still on the run. Zawahiri, who inherited the leadership from bin Laden is somewhere, we believe, in Pakistan,” she added.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian cleric, was second-in-command under Osama and was regarded by US intelligence agencies as chief ideologue for the militant group.

Clinton also said the US would keep up pressure for the arrest of the founder of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT) who is wanted over the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The United States last month offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the conviction of Hafiz Saeed, who lives openly in Pakistan and is considered a mastermind of the assault in India that killed 166 people.

Clinton on Monday said she was “well aware that there has not yet been the steps taken by the Pakistani government” that could help in securing Saeed's conviction.

“We're going to be pushing that. So it's a way of raising the visibility and pointing out to those who are associated with him that there is a cost for that,” Clinton said of the reward offer.

Three of the top five most-wanted militants by the United States are believed to be in Pakistan, including the leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Omar.

But Clinton, addressing a public forum in Kolkata, said she also appreciated sacrifices by Pakistan, saying that it was the main victim of violence by extremists.

Saeed has openly defied the US announcement by holding press conferences in Pakistan.

The United States has said it is not offering the reward for his capture but for information to prosecute him.

Opinion

Accessing the RSF

Accessing the RSF

RSF can help catalyse private sector inves­tment encouraging investment flows, build upon institutional partnerships with MDBs, other financial institutions.

Editorial

Madressah oversight
Updated 19 Dec, 2024

Madressah oversight

Bill should be reconsidered and Directorate General of Religious Education, formed to oversee seminaries, should not be rolled back.
Kurram’s misery
19 Dec, 2024

Kurram’s misery

THE unfolding humanitarian crisis in Kurram district, particularly in Parachinar city, has reached alarming...
Hiking gas rates
19 Dec, 2024

Hiking gas rates

IMPLEMENTATION of a new Ogra recommendation to increase the gas prices by an average 8.7pc or Rs142.45 per mmBtu in...
Geopolitical games
Updated 18 Dec, 2024

Geopolitical games

While Assad may be gone — and not many are mourning the end of his brutal rule — Syria’s future does not look promising.
Polio’s toll
18 Dec, 2024

Polio’s toll

MONDAY’s attacks on polio workers in Karak and Bannu that martyred Constable Irfanullah and wounded two ...
Development expenditure
18 Dec, 2024

Development expenditure

PAKISTAN’S infrastructure development woes are wide and deep. The country must annually spend at least 10pc of its...