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Sunday, December 5, 2010

US asked Pak to crack down on LeT, JuD: WikiLeaks

ISLAMABAD, Dec 05 : American officials pressured the Pakistan government to crack down on the Lashker-e-Taiba and its front Jamaat-ud-Dawah but were unable to make much headway, according to a secret US diplomatic cable.

A cable sent on November 27, 2006 by former US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C Crocker, one of the hundreds released by WikiLeaks, said the US embassy had raised the operations of the two groups with "contacts throughout the Government of Pakistan" after the LeT was designated a terrorist organisation under UN Security Council resolution 1267 the previous year.

Crocker took up the activities of LeT, Al-Akhtar Trust and Al Rashid Trust - all designated under UNSC resolution 1267 - with the then Foreign Secretary Riaz Khan and the then National Security Advisor Tariq Aziz while other US officials engaged the Foreign Ministry's UN Directorate and the Information Ministry.

"No (Government of Pakistan) official, however, has committed to taking direct action to close the operations of these entities," Crocker wrote in the cable.

The Pakistan government launched a limited crackdown on the JuD and its leaders, including its chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.

During his meetings with Pakistani officials, Crocker presented "a press report on the declaration of the Ministry of Defence Parliamentary Secretary that he was proud to be a member of LeT and that he seeks to extend support to Jihadi organizations when they seek his 'cooperation'", the cable said.

Then Foreign Secretary Riaz Khan asked Crocker whether the US had evidence linking JuD to terrorist activity and the envoy "replied affirmatively, noting that the (US Government) has shared such information with (Government of Pakistan) intelligence agencies".

Crocker wrote that he "advised the Foreign Secretary that there is a growing concern in the US Government about LeT/JuD support to the insurgency in Afghanistan".

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