Pak denies foreign military op in tribal areas

Islamabad, May 11: Pakistan has made it clear that only its security forces were responsible for any military action against Al Qaeda and other militants who may have taken refuge in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Reacting to a statement by US Secretary of Defence Robert M Gates that American military missions were in Pakistan's tribal areas to pursue Al Qaeda activists hiding there, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam stated, ''As regards military action Pakistan's security forces are solely responsible for any such action in our territory.'' Dawn newspaper quoted her as saying that there is security cooperation and intelligence-sharing between Pakistan security forces and the Nato-led ISAF.

Meanwhile, the government downplayed a report by an organisation of American scientists that Pakistan is preparing its next generation of nuclear-capable ballistic missile for deployment.

The spokesperson characterised the report as a ''speculative one which was part fact and part fiction''.

UNI