Pakistanis in Karachi watch a televised address by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to parliament in which Gilani rejected allegations that the sanctuary of Osama bin Laden in the country showed Pakistani incompetence or complicity.
Reporting from Washington and Islamabad, Pakistan—
In signs of worsening relations with Washington, Pakistan's prime minister angrily rejected claims that collusion or incompetence allowed Osama bin Laden to hide near the Pakistani capital for years, and news media made public what they claim is the name of the top CIA agent in the country.
A private TV station and a right-wing newspaper with ties to Pakistan's spy agency have each reported the name in recent days, marking the second time in six months that journalists here have sought to expose the local CIA station chief.
The U.S. and Pakistan have strongly criticized each other in the week since a team of Navy SEALs killed Bin Laden, although they say they intend to continue security cooperation.
U.S. officials have demanded an explanation of how Pakistan failed to find Bin Laden for more than five years in Abbottabad, a city with a heavy military presence that is close to Islamabad. The Pakistanis have complained that the U.S. raid was an infringement of their sovereignty and have called for a scaling back of U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in their country.
In a speech to parliament Monday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani denied U.S. suggestions that the government harbored Bin Laden or was incompetent because it failed to track him down. Gilani vowed to find out how the terrorist leader was able to hide for so long, but he also lashed out at Washington for the raid.
A senior U.S. official said the United States was "committed to having this relationship continue and grow" and noted that despite some harsh words, Pakistani officials had not yet taken any steps to curb security cooperation.
But he added: "It's going to be more difficult.... Some of this may be bombast for public consumption, but they certainly feel aggrieved by what's happening and are struggling to figure out what's next." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-us-pakistan-20110510,0,4688802.story
In signs of worsening relations with Washington, Pakistan's prime minister angrily rejected claims that collusion or incompetence allowed Osama bin Laden to hide near the Pakistani capital for years, and news media made public what they claim is the name of the top CIA agent in the country.
A private TV station and a right-wing newspaper with ties to Pakistan's spy agency have each reported the name in recent days, marking the second time in six months that journalists here have sought to expose the local CIA station chief.
The U.S. and Pakistan have strongly criticized each other in the week since a team of Navy SEALs killed Bin Laden, although they say they intend to continue security cooperation.
U.S. officials have demanded an explanation of how Pakistan failed to find Bin Laden for more than five years in Abbottabad, a city with a heavy military presence that is close to Islamabad. The Pakistanis have complained that the U.S. raid was an infringement of their sovereignty and have called for a scaling back of U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in their country.
In a speech to parliament Monday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani denied U.S. suggestions that the government harbored Bin Laden or was incompetent because it failed to track him down. Gilani vowed to find out how the terrorist leader was able to hide for so long, but he also lashed out at Washington for the raid.
A senior U.S. official said the United States was "committed to having this relationship continue and grow" and noted that despite some harsh words, Pakistani officials had not yet taken any steps to curb security cooperation.
But he added: "It's going to be more difficult.... Some of this may be bombast for public consumption, but they certainly feel aggrieved by what's happening and are struggling to figure out what's next." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.
Read More
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-us-pakistan-20110510,0,4688802.story
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