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Pakistan dismisses AI report
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, (UPI) -- Pakistani officials, claiming much success by the army, dismissed a rights group report millions of Pakistanis live under virtual Taliban rule in tribal areas.
The officials were responding to a report by Amnesty International that about 4 million Pakistanis in Federally Administered Tribal Areas in the northwest live under Taliban rule, having been "effectively" abandoned by their government. AI representatives say at least 1,300 civilians have died in fighting between the security forces and the military.
Pakistani Human Rights Minister Mumtaz Alam Gilani called the AI report "unfortunate and incorrect" and said the security forces have made significant gains against the militants and uprooted their bases in most parts of FATA, the Voice of America reported.
"When there is a war there is no civil right, there is no court and these areas are traditionally beyond the normal laws. We are getting hold of different places to manipulate and to further forward our attack on the enemy. They are on the run now," the report quoted Gilani as saying.
The VOA report said U.S officials have said they believe Pakistan's FATA region is a safe haven for the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida militants involved in cross-border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan.
A Pakistani foreign office spokesman said the government is fully committed to improving human rights in the tribal areas, the BBC reported.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, (UPI) -- Pakistani officials, claiming much success by the army, dismissed a rights group report millions of Pakistanis live under virtual Taliban rule in tribal areas.
The officials were responding to a report by Amnesty International that about 4 million Pakistanis in Federally Administered Tribal Areas in the northwest live under Taliban rule, having been "effectively" abandoned by their government. AI representatives say at least 1,300 civilians have died in fighting between the security forces and the military.
Pakistani Human Rights Minister Mumtaz Alam Gilani called the AI report "unfortunate and incorrect" and said the security forces have made significant gains against the militants and uprooted their bases in most parts of FATA, the Voice of America reported.
"When there is a war there is no civil right, there is no court and these areas are traditionally beyond the normal laws. We are getting hold of different places to manipulate and to further forward our attack on the enemy. They are on the run now," the report quoted Gilani as saying.
The VOA report said U.S officials have said they believe Pakistan's FATA region is a safe haven for the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida militants involved in cross-border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan.
A Pakistani foreign office spokesman said the government is fully committed to improving human rights in the tribal areas, the BBC reported.