Pakistan Rejects Leon Panetta's Comments On Militant Safe Havens

ISLAMABAD, June 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan on Saturday rejected U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's recent comments on militant safe havens in Pakistan, a move that could intensify tensions between troubled allies Islamabad and Washington.

"We feel that the Secretary of Defense is oversimplifying some of the very complex issues we are all dealing with in our efforts against extremism and terrorism," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Panetta said on Thursday that stabilisation efforts in Afghanistan would remain difficult as long as militants had safe havens in Pakistan. (Writing by Qasim Nauman; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)

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• U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, center, arrives at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Thursday, June 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

• U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta walks off his plane as he arrives at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Thursday, June 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

• U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, center right, speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker, second right, and the head of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan Gen. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

• U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, right, speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker, center, and the head of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan Gen. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

• U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gestures while speaking during a press conference in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, June 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

• U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta delivers a speech on Indo-U.S. Defense Relations at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, June 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

• U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, second left, participates in a welcoming ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in New Delhi, India Wednesday, June 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

• U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta pays tribute at the India Gate war memorial monument, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, June 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)

• U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, center, inspects Indian troops during a welcoming ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in New Delhi, India Wednesday, June 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

• U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta walks off his plane upon his arrival in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)

Comments

[Levittown]

03:46 PM on 06/12/2012

America has always given Pakistan the best of everything but every thing we get is dependent on their mood at the time. I feel they are unappreciative so is Afghanistan. We have needs here and if everyday we get a lecture from these leaders we should get the hell out of there and let them stew for a while. America is great and they act second rate. We don't need these put downs every other day.

[Josh Crawford]

10:03 PM on 06/10/2012

You're wrong, Mr. Foreign Minister, this is NOT "complex". In fact, it is very simple: a significant portion of the military in Pakistan, who have basically run things there since the country was created, supports and hides and coordinates with terrorists. That's is. That's all.

[Yasser Yousufi]

03:28 AM on 06/11/2012

You mean the same terrorists whom Reagan met in the White House and claimed he was "goodness personified"?? Its funny how most of the Americans can just ignore the plank in their eyes as if it doesn't exist~!

[Josh Crawford]

04:14 AM on 06/11/2012

No. Not at all. Not even close.

[Josh Crawford]

11:40 PM on 06/11/2012

JC, You seem to think too much of a third world country Intelligence agency and not much of your own CIA

Um, what part of "I understand the basic origins of the mujaheddin as a US surrogate against the Russians in Afghanistan in the 80's as I was very much alive then. I also understand that we supported Saddam Hussein at one point as well" did you not understand. I most certainly am NOT overestimating the ISI or underestimating the CIA or in any way giving them a pass.

Trust me, I would have NEVER gone into Afghanistan like WBush/Cheney did. I would have put about 15-20,000 "special forces" troops in there and been in and out in 2-3 years (and I wouldn't go in without an exit strategy as Bush/Cheney did). But we are where we are and it's past time for Pakistan to pick one side or the other. The days of having it both ways have to end, for everyone's sake...

[BrutusHonestus]

09:18 PM on 06/10/2012

"oversimplifying some of the very complex issues we are all dealing with in our efforts against extremism and terrorism," ??? Oh, I get it . . . of course it s complex . . . trying to convince the USA that you are cooperating, trying to convince your people that you are not cooperating, while doing neither and collecting as much USA taxpayer dollars as possible . . . not sure complex is the word we should be using

[soldamerican3]

08:15 PM on 06/10/2012

NEVER FORGET!

During the cold war, it was the poor Afghans that sacrificed so much fithing the Soviets.. Pakistanis took commission for the route. They were well paid. They are not friends..they like H0s.

[soldamerican3]

08:41 PM on 06/10/2012

We had established long time ago..Pakistan is a H0. We are just haggling over the price for them to turn their cheeks for us!

[soldamerican3]

08:06 PM on 06/10/2012

Pakistan is terror central! Period!

[Pat15]

08:43 PM on 06/10/2012

well said ...No doubt about it ...that is how Pakistan make $$ ..that is their biggest money earner and they have taken blackmailing to a fine art ...

[mike0]

06:58 PM on 06/10/2012

I feel you, Mister defence secretary. This job is difficult. Well, for a man like you.

[Doug Sandlin]

06:12 PM on 06/10/2012

Just FYI to all, who may picture Pakistan as solely being a combination of Taliban and corrupt leaders:

Pakistan is over half the size of the U.S., population wise (about 180 Million people, there.)

Culturally, a good majority of Pakistanis are Indian (partition was only a few decades back; Indian culture extends back over millenia) -- Pakistanis call themselves "Desi", too.

And, there's a lot more variety there than many people realize ....

Pakistani Fashion Show, Lahore, Pakistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzegpPhCW98

Pakistani band Overload - female lead singer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBBQQ6dGhGc

Pakistani band Strings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rP337lC_cI

Junoon - biggest band to ever come out of South Asia - 30 Million albums and counting
... and their song Ehtesaab (Accountability) - about government corruption during the Benazir Bhutto adminstration -- which got them banned for nearly a decade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0olJuQBJHg

Junoon's guitarist Salman Ahmad - the most famous rock star in the Muslim world, arguing with a Taliban mullah about music (starting at 1:30 or so, in the video).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxmZZa__XUk

... like I said -- a lot of variety.

[soldamerican3]

08:07 PM on 06/10/2012

What BS... Even the scotch drinking liberal Pakistani elities give passive support to their terror as a state policy! Musharraff is the biggest one of em all!

[Doug Sandlin]

09:08 PM on 06/10/2012

Which of those videos depicts BS? I'm not super pro-Pakistan by any means ... my point is that it's the government, and the extremists ... and *not* most of the mainstream citizens of Pakistan - at least not urban, educated Pakistanis -- who are the problem. In any India vs. Pakistan discussion, I'm very Pro-India, as you've likely seen in other threads -- I was just pointing out that Pakistan as a country isn't one dimensional. If you think I'm factually wrong on any of that, feel free to point it out -- but be prepared to back up your opinion, too.

[Cody30]

05:20 PM on 06/10/2012

Cut ties with the US,and shoot down the drones.Simple.

[David Hundley]

01:16 PM on 06/10/2012

Man, Was I way off on the numbers. They still might be doctored up. Here it is folks. Truth?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAd2fHi3QCg
Who keeps up with the books anymore?

[fapescia]

01:12 PM on 06/10/2012

Since everything in Afghanistan is exactly thee same as VietNam, it should be relatively easy to formulate a policy that allows the US to go into Laos and Cambodia to stop the flow of arms to the Taliban.

[Leon Engelun]

12:30 PM on 06/10/2012

You noticed that Pakistan didn't challange Panetta to prove it.

[Caymus77]

12:26 PM on 06/10/2012

Oversimplifying?? Are there or aren't there terrorist havens in Pakistan? DId Pakistan imprison the Doctor who identified Bin Laden for our mission to kill him or did they not?

Pakistan IS the #1 terrorist nation in the world. Pakistan spread nukes to North Korea,allows madrassa schools which teach hatred for America,created the Taliban,and allows terrorists to operate within it's borders.

[mu chowdhury]

01:05 PM on 06/10/2012

Yeah ! I agree; but after US, if there is
something called #1 terrorist nation, it is
surely Pakistan !!
Yet another classic example of American
bigotry !! US funds the regime in power who
is not at all supported by the people there !
It is US that supports unpopular regime with
fund, later brings up to a fullblown dictatorship
and, later wage a war of choice to dethrone
the dictator !!

This is how US military industrial wheel roll !
Military industry enjoys full freedom and huge
profiteering under the US umbrella !!

[soldamerican3]

08:08 PM on 06/10/2012

So the US is eviI...then India is Evil..then Israel is Evil...and all IsIamic country are good no matter what they do!

Typical!

[darksigns84]

02:00 PM on 06/10/2012

Do you forget that we trained them and put them in power to oust the Soviet Union from the middle east?

You realize that we give foreign aid to N Korea? We are the reason that Iran is no longer a democracy (1953 we helped overthrow the democratic government they had).

We are the reason for these so called terrorists as we are constantly training these people to do our dirty work and then kill them after they stop listening.

There are probably "terrorists" in every country of the world. Just because they may be in Pakistan, doesn't mean that they are being aided by their government.

Our own government is crating terror for the people of America. Go look at the definition of terror by the UN and the FBI, and what our government is doing through propaganda, pushing this fake terror threat making people believe that at any minute we can be attacked, is terrorism.

We are the biggest terrorists in the world. The whole world views America as a bully, just the way the world viewed Great Britain when we declared our independence for the same reasons. We fought and won our freedom from a country that did the same things we are currently doing now...nation building and forcing our beliefs/political agenda with guns/bombs.

[David Hundley]

12:24 PM on 06/10/2012

Wake Up, You Huffers, It is always about the money. See what happens when the money runs out. Compare it with dolling out money and paying for your grown a$s kids bills, and they get used to it. Then the money plays out. Then the person that was getting aid is helpless and defensless for being enabled for so long. We have to pay for our friends now. Get Real.

[Realist2011]

12:23 PM on 06/10/2012

Quit writing checks and they'll change. So long as they can keep getting ANY money, there's no incentive.

Kind of like the banks and Wall Street.

[David Hundley]

12:19 PM on 06/10/2012

I personally think that they depise Americans because of us occupying their country. Would any of you stop fighting to get the outsiders out. I didn't think so. Watch the Endorse Liberty Vid.
http://www.youtube.com/user/EndorseLiberty?v=AwbBWEljyYE
You can love your country, but still hate the government ruining it.